Dawn
by Insanetrouble
Summary: What if something else had changed as well when Cutter came back through the anomaly? Something huge?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi everyone! This is my first primeval story, beginning at the first episode of series 2. Enjoy, and please tell me what you think! X**_

Claudia was gone.

The ARC now existed when it didn't before.

And he and Helen were the only two people in the world who knew about it.

Cutter walked through the unfamiliar hallways of the ARC, feeling as if he was in a terrible dream. Claudia was gone- permanently, it seemed- and this strange place existed. Behind him, he could hear Conner apologising to an angry Abby, who was still yelling "You shot me Conner!" Cutter smirked slightly as he heard Conner's pleading reply but kept walking, deciding to let the young man handle this himself. Random lab techs murmured greetings as he walked past and he nodded awkwardly in acknowledgment, pushing through the main doors and stopping dead.

Conner had discretely pointed out his desk to him earlier but it was now taken by a young woman, who sat with her head bent over various books and papers. He glanced around but nobody was acting like this was an unusual occurrence. He slowly stepped closer, catching her attention and she looked up, smiling at him. He now realised he'd been mistaken- the person in front of him was a teenager, no more than sixteen. He scanned her quickly, taking in her black skirt and tights with a white blouse, with a striped tie loosely looped around her neck although she didn't seem to be wearing shoes. School uniform, he quickly concurred.

"Hey." She greeted. "How were the raptors?"

Cutter paused. "They were… raptor-like." He answered carefully. She rolled her eyes.

"Descriptive. Do you need your desk?" she asked.

"Er… no. No, that's ok." Maybe she was the daughter of one of the lab techs? She was too young to be working here, that much he was certain of.

"Are you ok? You're acting a little off." The girl asked. Cutter nodded.

"I'm fine."

The girl watched him for a few moments, her smile quickly fading. "She did it again, didn't she?"

"Who did what?" he questioned, now more confused than before.

"Your darling wife. She got under your skin again." The girl pushed the chair back angrily, gathering up the books on the desk.

"I…" Cutter began.

"Don't try to deny it dad! She's done this every time she's reappeared in the last few months and you keep falling for it!" the girl strode out, not bothering to slip her shoes on but Cutter barely noticed.

She'd called him dad.

Cutter turned on his heel, bolting towards the lockers. "Conner?!" he questioned loudly. Instead, Stephen poked his head around the corner.

"He's with Abby, what're you making so much noise about?" he asked. Cutter gripped his shoulders, pushing him back slightly.

"Hey! Cutter!" Stephen protested.

"There was a girl, just now. She called me dad." Cutter said urgently. Stephen looked at him.

"Yeah…?" he said slowly. "She's done it for the last fourteen years or so, you'd think you'd be used to it by now."

Cutter gaped at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Cutter… tell me you know who Dawn is."

"Who the hell is Dawn?!" Cutter hissed. Stephen stared at him.

"Your daughter! Yours and Helen's!"

Cutter stumbled back, gaping at him with horror sinking through him for about the tenth time that day. "Oh my god." He bent over, leaning on his knees for a moment before he turned back to Stephen. "I didn't have a daughter. Before, I didn't have a daughter."

Stephen pressed him back against the wall. "Stop this. Right now, you stop this. Dawn is your daughter. There is no Claudia Brown and you need to stop it."

Cutter looked up at him, resisting the urge to be sick. Stephen stared at him. "Oh, god. You're telling the truth. You have no idea who she is."

Cutter shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know what I did, I don't know how to make it right."

He ran his hands through his hair. Suddenly, Conner appeared. "Professor, Stephen, Lester wants us. Like now. Says there's someone he wants us to meet."

"We'll be there in a minute." Answered Stephen without looking around. Connor disappeared again, leaving Stephen to step closer to the older scientist. "Listen to me right now. Dawn Cutter is your daughter. She's fifteen and Helen vanished when she was seven. She adores you and prior to about twelve hours ago, you adored her too. I don't care how much you have to lie and act, you are not going to hurt that girl, do you understand me?"

"I don't even know her, how am I going to avoid hurting her?" Cutter hissed. Stephen shrugged.

"You're probably not, knowing you. But you are going to do your damn best." Stephen clenched and unclenched his fists. "Now go see what Lester wants."

"Aren't you coming?" Cutter questioned. Stephen shook his head.

"No, I have to go explain to a teenage girl why her father doesn't know who she is anymore."

He stormed off, leaving Cutter to lean against the row of lockers in shock, his head spinning. His mother used to say that things always came in three's- he counted this as the third. He really needed Claudia right now, to ask what on earth he was supposed to do now. But she'd been the first thing.

And so he ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath before he retraced his steps back to where Lester was waiting.

Stephen eventually found Dawn in the break room, books spread out in front of her as she gazed into space. "Hey kid." He greeted, sitting next to her. She smiled.

"Hey uncle Stephen." She replied quietly. He sighed.

"Dawn… there's something you need to know about your father."

She looked at him quizzically. "Is this about how weird he was acting earlier?"

"Yeah." Stephen launched into an explanation, watching as Dawn's face went from confused to incredulous, then angry and finally just grief-stricken.

"So… you're telling me he has no idea who I am and thinks he's from a different timeline with somebody named Claudia Brown where the ARC doesn't exist." She summed up. Stephen nodded.

"That about covers it." He agreed. "Look, he'll probably come to his senses in a few days but until then he's going to be acting strange."

"More than normal you mean." Dawn quipped, pushing down the sick feeling in her stomach. Stephen chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair before pulling her to her feet and wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they walked to the main operations centre, only to see Cutter gesturing wildly in front of a brunette woman, who looked completely bemused. When Dawn heard him mention Claudia Brown, she figured it was time to step in.

"Dad, that's enough!" she grabbed his arm, but he wrenched it away and continued to talk at a rapid rate. "Dad! We're going home, come on." She told him firmly, pushing him away from the woman and urging him out the door before he could protest, grabbing their bags on the way. She walked with him silently to the car park, climbing in the passenger seat and resting her head back as he began to drive. He drew out, but then paused.

"I… do we still live in the same place?" he questioned. She glanced at him.

"Yeah." She replied softly. He shifted uncomfortably but drove on until they arrived, Dawn exiting the car just as silently and letting herself in, leaving the door open behind her. Cutter followed her in warily but was pleasantly surprised to find the house almost identical to how it had been, the only exceptions were a few photos and the tell tale signs that a teenaged girl lived there.

"Is it the same?" Dawn asked suddenly, reappearing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Yeah, mostly." He answered. She gave a nod before retreating again, leaving Cutter to wander into his office and reacquaint himself. Meanwhile, Dawn fussed around the kitchen a bit, digging out the takeaway menus and ordering their usual before realising the house was a bit too quiet. She went in search of her father, glancing in a couple of rooms before eventually finding him.

She stood in the doorway of his study, watching Cutter for a moment. She assumed he was too caught up in his own thoughts to see her but he made her jump by suddenly speaking. "Are you going to stand there and stare all night?"

Dawn bit her lip, stepping into the study with soft footsteps. "You're telling the truth, aren't you? About Claudia Brown and the ARC and… and me." she said quietly, not meeting his eyes. He looked at her, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"You believe me just like that?" he questioned. She nodded. "Why?"

She gestured to the screen saver on the computer, which showed a photo of the two of them with their arms wrapped around each other, beaming at the camera. "You're…. you're not him. You look at me but… you don't see me. You have no idea who I am." She finally met his gaze, choking back the tears that threatened and forcing her voice to stay steady. "My dad… he knows me better than I know myself most of the time. So… yes- I believe you."

She wrapped her arms around herself, turning to walk out. "I'm sorry." Nick called after her. She smiled weakly back at him.

"It's not your fault." She whispered.

"I'm still sorry."

She walked out, closing the door gently behind her and leaning against it for a second, her hand stifling a sob. Blindly, she stumbled upstairs into her bedroom, shutting it forcefully behind her before collapsing to the floor against it, tears streaking down her cheeks as she trembled. She covered her face with her hands, rocking slightly as she desperately tried to stay quiet.

But then her gaze fell on a photo taken when she was seven, just weeks before her mother disappeared; her parents' arms both wrapped around her as they all laughed at something off camera. She let out a cry, reaching out and smashing it against the wall before she fell to the floor again, now letting her sobs flow freely.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hi everyone! Thank you to _****Love and Heartbreak21 ****_for favoureting- please tell me what you think of this one! X_**

It wasn't until the next morning that Dawn ventured out of her room, pulling her hair into a ponytail while she waited for her toast to pop and wishing desperately that the day before hadn't happened.

"Good morning."

She yelped, dropping the jar she was holding. "Jesus." She exhaled heavily, leaning against the cabinet slightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Cutter said, humour in his tone at her reaction.

"It's fine, I just wasn't expecting you. You're usually gone by this point." She carefully picked up the jar, grateful it hadn't smashed and splattered the contained jam all over her uniform. The toaster dinged and she quickly spread the jam over it, grabbing her bag as she took a bite. "I'll see you later."

"You're leaving already?" Cutter asked in surprise.

"I have school. You'll get a nasty phone call if I just don't show up." She slipped her shoes on as she spoke, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her tone.

"I'm aware of that. But it's only half seven, school won't start for at least an hour." He probed. She sighed.

"I have to catch the bus- I don't go to the local school. Now I'm going to be late if I don't hurry." She kissed his cheek without thinking and hurried out the door, only realising what she'd done once she was outside. She winced. "Whoops." She muttered, and resolved to avoid him for the next few days.

Dawn didn't gather up the courage to enter the ARC again for that time, instead choosing to throw herself into school and friends and going to bed before her father arrived home. But it seemed she couldn't escape when while out with her friends she spotted her father and his team. "Oh for gods sake." She muttered, breaking off from her group and crossing to them.

"Dawn what the hell are you doing here?" exclaimed Stephen. She looked at him.

"Trying to enjoy a day out. Your turn."

He caught her arm and tugged her away. "You need to leave. Now."

"Excuse me?! No way!" Dawn wrenched away from him, turning away but he grabbed her, forcing her to stop.

"No, Dawn. You need to leave. There's a creature out here but we don't know what and we don't know where. It's dangerous for you to be here!" Stephen hissed.

"So what about all these other people?" Dawn challenged. Stephen gritted his teeth, taking a deep breath.

"Dawn, please. Just leave."

"No." the teenager said flatly. "If this creature is really that dangerous, you'd be evacuating the whole park. I'm actually being normal without anomalies or dinosaurs or insane parents- I'm not going to ruin it because you're being overprotective!" She pulled out of his grip and stormed off before Stephen could catch her. She heard him curse behind her but she ignored him and re-joined her friends, putting all thoughts of them out of her mind. But when it was time to leave, she hesitated.

She groaned, dialling Stephen's number with her jaw clenched. "Uncle Stephen? Where are you?"

Stephen relayed his location and she made her way over to him, meeting his glare with her own. "Really? You can't just go home?" Stephen questioned. She crossed her arms.

"Home to what? Everyone I care about is chasing a mysterious creature around a forest in the middle of the night. Excuse me, if I don't go and tuck myself up in bed."

Stephen sighed in frustration. "Fine, go sit in the car." He chucked the keys at her but she simply threw them back.

"No way."

Stephen made an irritated noise in the back of his throat. "Dammit Dawn! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to be out here right now?"

"Then how is leaving me helpless in a car going to help?" Dawn challenged. Stephen groaned.

"Fine. But you stay with me. DO NOT wander off." Stephen stressed. The teenager nodded her agreement so they set off, treading quietly through the woodland. But then Stephen froze.

He pushed Dawn against a tree, holding a finger to his lips. "Do not move." He whispered. She nodded and he crept away. Dawn felt her heart thudding in her chest.

Every noise sounded like a creature and every rustle was a danger- Dawn shifted her weight so she could move away quickly if she needed to.

And then a hand clamped over her mouth. Dawn screamed- it was muffled- and twisted but then she heard Stephen's voice, reassuring her. "It's just me kid. Sorry."

"Dammit Uncle Stephen!" Dawn hit him on the arm, calming her breathing. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Language." He reproached, but gestured for her to follow him. "This is Valerie- we're giving her a ride home."

"Hello." The dark haired woman greeted her. Dawn gave her a slightly confused smile.

"Hi." She turned to Stephen and raised her eyebrows knowingly, waggling them at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Get in the car." He hissed. She giggled, climbing into the back and making no noise so they forgot she was there. Which worked perfectly until they heard the screams. Stephen ran off, yelling at them to stay in the car.

"Seriously?" Dawn frowned, teeth worrying her lip as she searched the darkness. Valerie suddenly got out the car, closing the door quietly. "Hey! Where are you going?"

Dawn scrambled out after her, following her into the station to find her and Stephen standing facing each other, the latter looking irritated but resigned.

"Where's the creature?" she asked him. He gestured towards the tracks.

"Somewhere out there. I think it's gone for now but I need to call the others." He pulled his phone from his pocket, wrapping his other arm around Dawn, who was shivering. Cutter, Conner and Jenny soon arrived, tiredness showing in their faces from the lack of sleep.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Cutter exclaimed as soon as he spotted Dawn. She frowned.

"Gee dad, nice to see you too." She pressed closer to Stephen, shivering more violently and watching as Jenny quickly got everyone organised. Stephen rubbed her arm, pushing her towards Cutter.

"Take her inside with you before she catches hypothermia." He instructed. She followed them obediently, Conner catching her eye and winking at her. Jenny slowed to fall into step with her.

"I'm Jenny." She introduced. Dawn smiled.

"Dawn. Nice to meet you." She murmured back. They entered the small shed, Dawn perching next to her father. She ignored the train spotter up until the point Jenny started flirting with him and informing him that she too used to be a train spotter. Dawn's eyes widened as she watched Jenny move closer, still talking quietly to the man.

"Every man has his passion." Jenny said sweetly. Dawn's jaw dropped and out of the corner of her eye she saw the boys do the same.

"Oh. My. God…" Dawn breathed, still staring as the man fell for it hook line and sinker.

"I'll second that…" her father murmured. Dawn wasn't entirely sure if he realised he'd spoken aloud. Jenny dismissed the man and turned back to them with a satisfied smile.

"You're a real piece of work, aren't you?" Cutter asked her disbelieving, amusement colouring his tone. Jenny's smile widened.

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

Dawn giggled. "That was awesome."

Jenny winked at her, before Connor caught their attention and directed it to the screen. "Oh yikes." Dawn murmured once they'd explained what it was. Jenny looked grim.

"Dawn- go sit in my car. Lock the doors and don't open them until someone you know tells you to." Cutter instructed her, handing her his keys. Dawn nodded, sliding from her chair and doing as he said.

"You're sending her away from you?" Connor questioned in surprise. Cutter shot him a glare and he promptly shut up.

When Stephen arrived he immediately questioned where the teen was, and it was Jenny who steered him in the right direction. "What's the deal with Cutter anyway?" she asked him as they walked. "He treats Dawn like a stranger."

"It's… it's complicated." Stephen evaded, then chuckled as they came up to the car. Jenny shot him a quizzical look and he pointed in the window, where Dawn was curled up in the passenger seat fast asleep. Jenny smiled.

"We don't have to wake her, do we?" she checked. Stephen shook his head, leading her away.

The next morning, Dawn sat with Abby and her father with Connor talking to her and Abby over the phone. "C'mon Dawn!" Connor pleaded. "Everyone knows that you're Lester's favourite- if you asked he'd say yes!"

"Connor! Don't use Dawn to do your dirty work!" Abby scolded.

"Beside, I'm not sure me asking for your day off would work Con." Dawn pointed out dryly. He huffed.

"Doesn't mean you couldn't try. Or teach me how you do it."

"Do what?" asked Dawn, raising a confused eyebrow at Abby, who shrugged.

"You know, make everyone love you."

"What?" Dawn frowned, nonplussed.

"He does have a point." Abby considered. "Everyone loves you at the ARC, even the soldiers who usually won't even talk with the rest of us."

Dawn blinked. "Maybe you should try being nice to them." She pointed out.

"Could you three try to act a little professional please?" Cutter suddenly cut in impatiently. Dawn fell silent until she went with Abby and her father to the trap site, sitting on a nearby log and watching as they dug the trap. "Woah, Abby! Woah, woah stop! Stop digging!" she heard her father cry frantically. She stood, moving closer.

"Dad?" she questioned but was cut off by a roar. Her eyes widened.

"Do. Not. Move." Her father hissed at her. Dawn froze.

The cat appeared and somewhere in the back of her mind Dawn noted how beautiful it was… but she was more concerned with her father, who was facing off with the cat. "Dad!" she cried as he caused the cat to chase him. Abby sprang from the digger.

"Come on!" they sprinted through the forest, following the crashes from the animal and finally came across them just in time for Abby to shoot at it and scare it off. Dawn breathed a sigh of relief and she saw her father do the same, still sat on the ground. He looked at them, nodding his thanks to Abby.

"Abby, I want you to take Dawn and put her somewhere safe. Then call the others- tell them we have a body." Cutter instructed as he climbed to his feet.

"I'm not an animal! You can't just put me somewhere for safekeeping!" Dawn protested. Abby slung an arm around her shoulders to gently lead her away.

"Come on. Let's leave him be."

Dawn lay on one of the tables they were at earlier, listening to the radio that she'd stolen from Leek when he wasn't looking and swinging on leg absently. "Where's the professor?" she heard Connor ask suddenly. She frowned, sitting up and listening more intently.

"He went after Valerie! Get in the car!" Stephen told him hurriedly. Dawn frowned. Wasn't Valerie the nice keeper from earlier?

"Uncle Stephen, what's going on?" she questioned. There was a silence.

"Nothing Dawn. Just stay where you are."

Dawn scowled but continued to listen, heart beating faster and faster as she heard yelling and shouting. And then somebody must have left a channel open, because she heard Stephen and her father arguing intently. She wrapped her arms around herself and tilted her head. They _never_ argued, what was going on?

She asked Abby, who just shrugged uncomfortably and muttered something incomprehensible before scurrying off. She turned to Stephen but he cut her off. "It's really none of your business Dawn. Find somebody to give you a lift home."

"But-" Dawn began, but he was already gone. She sighed.

"I'll take you." Jenny offered quietly.

"Thanks."

She climbed into Jenny's car, resting her head on the window as she watched the landscape whizz past. To her surprise, Jenny said nothing, instead allowing them to remain in a comfortable silence until they arrived, when Dawn thanked her and said goodbye before letting herself in, unable to shake the feeling that something was really wrong.

It wasn't until after a lot of paper work and many meetings that Cutter finally made it home that night, noticing instantly that all but the hallway lights were off. He crept upstairs after shedding his jacket and shoes and peeked into Dawn's room, quickly spotting the teenager curled up in bed, fast asleep with a book in her hand and her lamp glowing dimly beside her. He couldn't help but smile, catching a momentary glimpse of what the girl must have been like as a child.

Gently he removed the book and covered her over with her duvet, brushing a lock of hair out of her face and watching her for a moment. Like this, relaxed and unguarded she looked much younger than her fifteen years. He couldn't help but marvel that this human in front of him was half his, although the proof was there in front of him every time she looked at him with the same eyes.

But she had Helen's hair, he reflected, a light brunette, naturally highlighted mass that fell past her waist somewhere between wavy and curly. And her face- although there were differences no one could deny her parentage on either side. Cutter was torn- he desperately wanted to get to know this girl, this _daughter_ whom he'd felt so much concern for today when she was in the vicinity of the sabre-tooth but if he ever succeeded in righting the timelines she'd be lost, ceasing to exist just as Claudia had.

And he couldn't go through that again.

So he switched off the light and left the room, closing the door firmly behind him and resolved not to get attached.


	3. Chapter 3

Dawn spent a very long time a few days later at the ARC when more underwater anomalies opened. When she walked in she didn't recognise Jenny at first- her hair was down, she wore little make up and was dressed in jeans. "You look nice." Dawn complimented her. Jenny snorted.

"Sure. Thanks."

"No you do!" Dawn protested. "I like it."

Jenny stared at her for a moment before her expression softened. "Sorry. Thank you Dawn. It wasn't intentional though- I took an unscheduled swim while we were searching."

Dawn giggled. "Whoops. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Jenny assured her, looping their arms as they began to walk and carefully hiding the stress on her face from the teenager. "I may have to invest in some swimming lessons though."

"You can't swim?" a surprised Dawn questioned. Jenny sighed, knowing the same reaction had come from Abby and Conner earlier.

"I suppose you can?" she asked, already resigned to the answer. Dawn nodded.

"Dad taught me almost before I could walk. And Uncle Stephen taught me to dive a couple of years ago." Dawn confirmed.

"I definitely need those lessons." Jenny muttered as they entered the operations centre. The shark creature hung in the middle of it, and Dawn's eyes lit up.

"Awesome!" she scrambled over and began peering at it.

"Don't touch." Jenny reminded her, walking up the sloping catwalk and leaning against the railing. Being too close to that thing made her seriously uncomfortable and she stared at it contemplatively, resting her head on her arms and wondering when exactly her life had gotten so crazy. Dawn vaguely registered that her father soon joined her but she was too entranced by the animal in front of her to pay much attention. She began to listen, however, when she heard her name.

"What about you? Do you have someone? Other than Dawn I mean." Jenny asked her father. Dawn tilted her head in bemusement… what were they talking about?

"Ah… no!" her father smiled. "I'm not very good at that. My wife left me eight and a half years ago to travel through the anomalies and the next woman I liked she… she left. I don't seem to be a particularly attractive romantic proposition at the moment."

Dawn wrinkled her nose- too much information, she thought in disgust.

"And on that note, if you'll excuse me I have a hot date with a dead shark." Her father nodded to Jenny, who watched him go with an amused smile. Dawn raised her eyebrows, studying her facial expressions.

Now _that_, she thought, could have possibilities.

"Dawn, get away from the shark." Her father called as he strode towards her, Abby and Stephen. She pouted slightly, skipping back to perch on a table and crossing her legs, kicking her shoes off as she did so. Abby winked at her.

Dawn stuck her tongue out at her but said nothing, knowing she'd likely be sent away if she reminded her father she was still in the room. It was Stephen that eventually realised she should have been in bed for school the next morning, and sent her home.

"But I want to stay! Uncle Stephen please." She pleaded but he didn't relent.

"No- and if I even get a whiff that you've skipped school tomorrow or turned up late there will be trouble." He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head. "Now go."

Dawn sighed. "Fine. Goodnight." She grabbed her bag and shoes and waved at the others, calling a goodnight to them as well.

She spent the next day waiting impatiently for school to finish before rushing to the ARC, realising instantly that something was wrong. There was a strange mood amongst everyone and the usual bustle of noise was conspicuously absent. Dawn searched for somebody to ask but there was nobody in the operations room either.

Dropping her bag on the floor the jogged up the catwalk, slightly relieved to find Lester in his office, sitting opposite Leek and Jenny. "James, Jenny, where is everyone?" she questioned, knocking only once before entering.

They all exchanged glances before looking back at her. "What? What's happened?" she asked, a sick feeling spreading through her.

"Leave us." Lester instructed Leek and Jenny. They both rose, the later squeezing Dawn's hand as she passed.

"What is it?"

"Dawn… a creature attacked while we were searching for it. It dragged Abby underwater…" Lester trailed off.

"So? The same happened to Jenny yesterday. Is Abby in the med bay or something?" Dawn relaxed. His expression remained grave. "James?"

"It was a different creature Dawn." He explained gently. "She didn't resurface."

"No…" Dawn breathed. Lester came around the desk.

"I'm so sorry."

Dawn shook her head, tears welling. "No. No… it's Abby. I mean… she's always fine. Always." She denied. "Please."

A tear slipped down her cheek as she stared at him with wide eyes, silently pleading. Lester reached out and caught her as she crumpled, bringing the teenager into him. "Please…" she repeated. He embraced her tightly, for once not caring about what his subordinates thought of him.

Dawn was sat by the small window in Lester's when Leek came bolting in, slightly out of breath. "What is it Leek?" Lester inquired without bothering to hide his irritation.

"Abby is alive! They found her." he informed them. Lester immediately got to his feet, hiding his relief.

"Get the car!" he ordered loudly. Dawn rose too.

"James…" she began hopefully. He gestured for her to join him.

"Yes yes, you too. I'd never hear the end of it otherwise." He ushered her along impatiently. Dawn bounced in her seat as they drove and when she caught sight of the bedraggled blonde she didn't even wait for the car to stop before she'd jumped out, flying over to Abby and attacking her with a fierce hug.

"Oof!" Abby laughed, wrapping her arms around her. "It's nice to see you too Dawn!"

"Has the anomaly closed?" Lester asked Cutter.

"No. And it's likely to reoccur." He answered. Lester crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"You know what Leek? I think this whole area could do with a government redevelopment grant. We'll start with sealing off the anomaly site with a few thousand tonnes of concrete. That should do the job."

"Shall I speak to the contractors?"

"No, don't worry I'll get myself a shovel and a cement mixer and do it myself. Yes of course you should speak to the contractors you idiot!"

Dawn choked back a laugh, turning back to Abby who was being checked by a medic. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Abby assured her, hugging her with one arm. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Dawn smiled. "I hope not."

Abby kissed her head before making her way over to Cutter. Dawn leant against the bonnet of a car and watched as they spoke for a minute, before they both laughed at something Abby said and turned, walking towards the ambulance with Cutter wrapping an arm around the blonde. Dawn felt a flash of jealousy but squashed it, knowing it wasn't Abbys' fault. Or her fathers' for that matter.

It was a few days later when Dawn rushed through the ARC, only eventually stopping when she spotted Jenny sitting by herself in the break room. She hesitated, stepping forward slightly until Jenny saw her. "Hi… do you have a minute?" she asked timidly.

"For you, I have two." Jenny smiled warmly at her, gesturing for her to join her. Dawn slid into a seat, nibbling her lip.

"I was wondering if you could help me…" she began. Jenny tilted her head.

"Of course. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, as such. It's just… I have my prom soon and I wasn't going to go but then this morning this boy sort of… asked me to go with him." Dawn blushed. "Only I've never really had to do the dressy thing and mum's never been around to show me so I have no idea where to start…"

Jenny laughed slightly. "I understand. But I thought you were only fifteen- why do you have your prom already?"

"I skipped a year. Will you help?"

"I'll help on one condition." Jenny considered.

Dawn looked at her doubtfully. "Which is…?"

"What's his name and how long have you liked him for?" Jenny leant forward with a wicked smile. Dawn blushed harder, sending the brunette into peals of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Abby questioned, dropping into the spare chair.

"Dawn has a boyfriend." Jenny announced.

"No I don't!" she protested. Abby looked between them in confusion, prompting Jenny to give a quick explanation.

"Oh, I see. Well? What's his name?" Abby looked at the teenager expectantly.

She bit her lip. "His name is Tommy." She admitted.

"And?!" Abby made a continue motion with her hand. Dawn sighed.

"He's sixteen and from Scotland. He moved here with his parents, three brothers and younger sister when he was ten because his dad got a new job." She told them, still flushed.

"Last name?" asked Jenny. Dawn groaned, burying her face in her arms.

"Cunningham." She replied, muffled. Abby and Jenny exchanged an amused glance, delighting in their torture of the teenage.

"We'll help you." Jenny smiled. "When is it then?"

"Next Friday."

"You have a lot of time then." Abby rolled her eyes. Dawn shrugged.

"I didn't think I was going!" she defended.

"It doesn't matter- we'll find you something." Jenny soothed. "Are you busy Saturday?"

Dawn shook her head, agreeing to being picked up at eight that morning. After several hours of traipsing around shops they eventually found a dress, and three shops later had it accessorised as well.

"Dawn? How did you deal with all those university events you went to? Stephen showed me pictures after mentioning it once." Abby asked suddenly as she and Jenny fiddled with the teens' hair on Friday night.

"Nobody expected me to do more than be in a nice dress and run a brush through my hair at that age, and shop assistants are surprisingly helpful to single fathers." Dawn grinned wryly. "By the time I was old enough to wear makeup and have fancier hair styles Dad and Uncle Stephen had moved to the ARC."

"What about for school?" Jenny questioned. Dawn shrugged.

"I usually just wear my hair down, don't wear complicated makeup and if I need anything special for performances there're usually designated hair and make up artists." She explained.

"Well, I'm no makeup artist but I think you'll be pleased." Jenny said carefully, dabbing on a finishing touch and straightening, steering Dawn to the mirror. Her hair was in a complicated but pretty bun with strands hanging artfully around her face while her makeup was smoky, but complimenting her blue dress. Dawn smiled.

"Wow. Thank you. Really." She told them both sincerely. A knock sounded at the door.

"Must be Tommy!" smirked Abby. Dawn looked nervous.

"How do I look?"

Jenny looked her up and down. "Perfect." She told her with a smile. Dawn beamed, leaning up to kiss both their cheeks.

"Thank you!" She cried before rushing out the door. Jenny and Abby exchanged a high five, grinning after the girl.

And then their phones rang.

They both traipsed into the ARC, waiting impatiently for Connor to find the coordinates. "I thought Dawn was with you?" Cutter frowned as he saw them.

"What?" Jenny wondered.

"You picked her up earlier. I thought she was spending the night at yours." He explained.

"No, Abby and I were just helping her get ready. She's spending the night at a friends I think." Jenny explained.

"You were helping her get ready to spend the night at a friends'?" Cutter questioned in confusion. Jenny looked at him strangely.

"No Nick, we were helping her get ready for prom!" Jenny exclaimed, disbelieving that the man wouldn't know this about his daughter.

"That was tonight?" Stephen winced. Abby sighed, pulling out her phone and showing him a picture she'd taken of the teenager. Cutter looked at it, a tiny smile forming.

"She looks beautiful." He murmured. And just like her mother, he added in his head.

"Do I pay you all to sit doing nothing!?" Lester yelled suddenly from his office. "Turn the damn alarm off and find that anomaly!"

Dawn was being strangely coy about how her prom night had gone but Jenny and Abby suspected that the smile on her face meant it was better than she'd expected. She was bouncing around the ARC one Saturday, shoes thrown in a corner with her earphones blasting as she tried to balance the chemical formula in her hand. "Hi Jenny!" she grinned, catching sight of the older woman. "You look… wow. What's the occasion?"

"My engagement party. This place puts a serious damper on your social life." Jenny grimaced.

"You're engaged?"

"I am. I'm sorry Dawn, I have to go- we have an anomaly." Jenny rushed off, leaving Dawn blinking.

"She's engaged? Well drat." She grumbled. That put a spanner in her plans. She dropped into a seat at a random desk, scowling down at her chemistry work.

She was working on a plan B when Lester called her into his office for the second time in a month, his face grave. "What now?" she asked him with wide eyes. They only got wider as she listened. "You're telling me that Dad and Uncle Stephen decided that a trek through the Silurian desert would be a good idea, armed with only a couple of water bottles and a detector?"

"That pretty much sums it up, yes." Lester confirmed. Dawn closed her eyes for a moment.

"Ok. Will it reopen?"

"We don't know. Abby, Connor and Jenny are at the site now."

Dawn dug her fingernails into her palms, then blew out a long breath. "Thank you James." She turned with a swish of her long hair and strode out, ignoring the calls of her name that sounded from behind her.

Nick and Stephen continued to walk, hampered slightly by the addition of Taylor. They were minutes away when Nick saw something strange was happening with the anomaly. "Stephen it's fading!" he yelled. Stephen scooped Taylor up easily, ignoring her screams of protest and ran to join him, before dropping her gently to her feet as he caught sight of the sand in front of him. They all stood and stared in a sick silence as the anomaly began to waver.

"No…"Stephen whispered but they were powerless to do anything as it flickered one final time, and then vanished altogether. Taylor slid down to sit on the rocks.

"What happened? When are we going back?" she asked tearfully. Not knowing what to say, Stephen simply squeezed her shoulder before both he and Nick ducked their heads.

"We can't stay here. We have to keep moving." Nick said after a while. Stephen looked at him in confusion, so he explained. "There's a chance another anomaly might open. If it does we need to be in range."

Stephen nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"There's still a way home?" Taylor asked hopefully. Nick nodded.

"Yeah. And we're going to find it." He promised.

"We better. Dawn might kill us both if we didn't." Stephen grimaced affectionately, absently fingering the leather name bracelet the teenager had bought for him last Christmas.

"Who's Dawn?" asked Taylor curiously.

"My daughter." Nick answered without thinking. Then he froze, realising what he'd done. From the corner of his eye he saw Stephen look at him in surprise, his eyebrows raised slightly.

"Oh. Well are we going or what?" Taylor asked, not paying attention to the reactions of the two men. They exchanged an amused glance.

"Sure." They both stood, beginning to walk while carefully avoiding the subject of Dawn again.

Meanwhile, Dawn sat in the ARC, waiting anxiously for Connor and Abby to return from the anomaly alert they'd had. She spun slightly in the chair she was in, teeth nibbling her lip.

"You look stressed. Weren't worried about us were you kid?" a voice came from behind her. Dawn gasped, whirling around to see Stephen stood there, a little dirty but grinning tiredly at her. She threw herself at him, hugging him fiercely.

"I hate you." She whispered. He grinned, ruffling her hair as they drew back.

"No you don't."

"Is dad…?" Dawn began but Stephen simply smiled and crooked a thumb over his shoulder.

"That way." He directed. She kissed his cheek and went in the direction he'd indicated, searching through the rooms until she found her father in his office. He looked up when she knocked softly on his door.

"Hi." He greeted. She smiled shyly, twisting her hands together.

"Hi. Are you… are you ok?"

"I'm fine." He assured her, then frowned when she entered the room. "Why are you never wearing any shoes?"

Dawn blinked, looking down at her bare feet for a moment before shrugging. "I don't like them."

"Right…" he pretended to understand. Dawn giggled at his expression.

"Um… I'll er, I'll leave you alone. I just wanted to check that you're alright." She said, leaving quickly before he could answer in any way. He blinked in surprise, before turning back to his empty desk and frowning at the space where the head set should have been.

Now to work out what was going on.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hi everyone! Merry Christmas! I don't want to beg for reviews, but could you just drop a note to say if you like it or not? It can be my Christmas present :-) X**_

Cutter was buried in his work when the ADD's alarm blared, jolting him from his work. He saw Stephen and Abby fly past his office and followed them quickly, jogging to catch up with them as Connor's fingers flew over the keys. "We have a location!" he announced gleefully. Then frowned. "Uh oh…"

"What?" Stephen questioned, leaning forward. He paled. "Dammit!"

"Would somebody please like to fill me in?" Lester drawled from behind them. Connor had shot from his chair and grabbed his bag while Abby and Stephen were already partly out the door.

"It's Dawn's school!" Connor yelled over his shoulder. Cutter found himself running to keep up with them, even Jenny who had arrived just in time to hear Connor's shout. They sat in terse silence in the car, Jenny constantly on her phone while Connor monitored police scanners. They pulled up outside an old, red brick building.

"This is her school?" Cutter questioned doubtfully. They were miles from their home and this building looked nothing like schools he remembered from his childhood.

"This is just the front part of it." Stephen explained. "They have newer buildings around the back."

They walked in, Jenny veering off to talk with the receptionist. In minutes, the head teacher had appeared, a serious looking woman with fierce red hair pulled into a bun. "Ms Lewis?" she enquired, revealing an Irish lilt to her voice.

"That's me. A pleasure to meet you Miss Cooper." Jenny smiled professionally, shaking the offered hand. She quickly lied about government tests being conducted, gaining them entry to the school.

"Of course. We're always happy to help." The headmistress smiled. "Forgive me, but you seem familiar- do you have a child here?" she addressed Stephen, who grinned.

"My goddaughter comes here; I fill in for Cutter here whenever he can't make it." He cocked his thumb at the scientist. Realisation flashed across her face.

"Of course, Dawn. It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr Cutter. Your daughter is exceptionally talented." She complimented.

"Thank you…" Cutter replied, startled and not really knowing what else to say.

"Would you like to see her perform? I believe she has a rehearsal now…" offered the headmistress. Abby and Connor turned to him with pleading eyes.

"Can we Cutter, please?" Abby begged.

"It's been ages since we've seen her perform!" Connor added hopefully. Cutter looked at them confusedly, wondering what they were talking about but nodded his agreement.

"Am I the only one remembering the possibly dangerous anomaly?" Jenny cut in pointedly, lowering her voice so Miss Cooper couldn't hear her.

"I'll go." Stephen volunteered. "I watched her practice the other day so I've already seen it."

He grabbed the bags and jogged away, leaving the others to follow the headmistress into a large, darkened auditorium where Cutter saw several figures moving around on stage, dancing in perfect unison to the song blaring over the speakers. With a shock, Cutter realised that the lead girl was Dawn, dressed in a brightly coloured t-shirt and white shorts as she sang perfectly even as she performed complicated dance moves.

Cutter watched her in astonishment; he'd heard the girl singing around the house before but it hadn't been anything like this- it seemed as if she was literally a part of the music. "She's extraordinary." Jenny breathed, standing beside him. Dawn was flipped into the air by her partner and landed in the arms of another boy, still singing at perfect pitch until she melded into the background and another girl took over. They all stood and watched her in silence until the song had finished and the students were all panting and out of breath, but beaming.

"Trés bien." A petite blonde woman clapped her hands. "Nobody fell and nobody dropped anybody- if you can do that in two weeks maybe you will pass this class."

The students all cheered, laughing and joking as they filed off the stage. Dawn broke away from her friends and skipped towards them, stopping just short of crashing into Connor. "Hi guys! Morning Miss Cooper."

"Good morning Dawn. How are you feeling about your exam?" she questioned with a gentle smile. Dawn shrugged.

"Nervous, but prepared."

"Good. Would you be so kind as to show your father and his colleagues around- you have a free period now, yes?"

Dawn nodded. "Of course. This way!" She bounced out, turning to them with a frown as soon as they were away from her curious classmates. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Anomaly alert." Abby explained. Her eyes widened.

"_Here?_" her voice rose.

"Yeah- Stephen went to find it." Abby explained while Connor pulled out a detector and switched it on. It immediately beeped and they followed it to where Stephen stood in the canteen in front of the glowing anomaly.

"Any incursion?" Cutter asked him.

"Um… Kind of." He pointed to the stacks of chairs, where hundreds of small lizard-type creatures were nestled, seemingly fast asleep.

"They look like Rex!" Dawn grinned.

"Kuehneosaurus." Connor said. "From the late Triassic period."

"They're harmless, right?" Jenny checked.

"… I think so?" Connor smiled sheepishly. They all rolled their eyes.

"How do we get them back through?" Dawn questioned. Suddenly, there was a chirrup and one of the lizards lifted its head, scrambling down from his perch to skid across the floor to Dawn. She giggled, kneeling down to play with him.

"Be careful." Cutter and Stephen said at the same time, glancing at each other in surprise.

"She has a point though." Jenny crossed her arms. "How are we going to get them back?"

Dawn was feeding her new friend bits of banana, sitting on the floor with him in her lap. "With fruit?" she suggested, not looking up. Cutter raised an inquiring eyebrow to Abby, who nodded.

"It could work." She confirmed.

"Right then… who wants to get the fruit?" Cutter questioned. Abby and Connor were volunteered so they traipsed off to the kitchens with Jenny to supervise them, leaving Cutter and Stephen standing awkwardly, watching Dawn from a little way off.

"This school… it's a performing arts school?" Nick questioned quietly. Stephen nodded.

"Yeah… You know, I've only ever seen you and Dawn argue twice. Properly argue, I mean. Once was about Helen, just after she came back for the second time and the other was when Dawn decided she wanted to go here." He said softly. Nick frowned.

"I didn't want her to?"

"No. You said that it was a waste of time, and her academic ability. That singing and dancing were fine as hobbies but that they shouldn't take the place of her studies. Dawn responded by pointing out her subjects were a mix for the first two years and then she chose, and she would never be so stupid as to choose 'soft subjects' only." Stephen explained with air quotes. "You felt the school was too far away from home, that it would be too much of a struggle for her to do the journey time and keep up with her school work."

"What did she say?" Nick questioned curiously. Stephen smiled at the memory.

"That it was closer than the university had been when you worked there, and she was a helluva lot more organised. The two of you argued for weeks- I think Dawn spent more time than my flat that summer than I did. And even when she started there in September you refused to attend any school functions or meetings- Dawn was heartbroken."

Cutter winced. "I'm in idiot." He muttered to himself.

"Yep." Stephen agreed. "I filled in for you until for months until you came home to find her practicing a solo piece for the christmas assembly that she'd been picked to perform over every other student in the school, even the year elevens. She begged you to come watch her and you eventually agreed."

Suddenly, there was a particularly loud cheep from the awake dinosaur that woke up several more. And in a chain reaction, Stephen and Cutter could only watch as one by one they were all woken up and began exploring the room, some gliding down from their perches while some simply scurried across the floor.

"Uh oh…" sighed Stephen.

"Close the door!" Cutter cried. Stephen rushed over, closing it just as one of the dinosaurs tried to stick his nose out. Dawn was in her element surrounded by chattering creatures, her wide smile telling Cutter that she was perfectly fine. Suddenly, Cutter noticed what the anomaly was doing. "It's getting weaker!"

"Maybe we should try to herd them back through?" Stephen suggested. Cutter raised his eyebrows, but then shrugged.

"Very well." They attempted to usher them back through but the creatures simply ran to the side and Dawn eventually became frustrated with them both.

"Oh for gods sake! Stop being so stubborn and work together!" she exclaimed. They both looked at her. Then at each other.

At another glare from the teenager they relented and began to work in unison, succeeding in getting some of the lizards back through while Dawn helpfully shouted directions from her spot on the floor.

The doors were flung open as the other three rushed in and immediately paused, blinking at the chaos in the room. "Where the hell have you been?" Cutter questioned. They began to answer but swarms of lizards surrounded them, sniffing at the fruit. They managed to manoeuvre themselves across the room to the anomaly, throwing pieces through to entice the little creatures to follow.

"Surprisingly anticlimactic." Jenny remarked dryly as the last of them scampered through, the only one left being the one in Dawn's lap.

"Put him through Dawn." Cutter instructed. She pouted.

"Can't we keep him? He's so cute." She held him up and he chattered happily, nuzzling into her.

"No you can't!"

"But Abby has loads! And Rex!" she protested. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Abby is a fully grown woman with her own flat and job. You are not." He said. She glowered at him but stood and gently threw the dinosaur back through the fluctuating anomaly. Seconds later, it closed leaving a strange silence, until the sound of the school bell pierced the air and made all but Dawn jump violently.

The teenager giggled at their reactions. "I gotta go, I have chemistry next." she bounded out with a wave.

"I better go and try to explain why we've just removed all the fruit from the kitchens." Jenny sighed. She clipped out in her heels and as she did Cutter noticed Stephen smirking at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You just did the parenting thing." Stephen grinned. Cutter looked bemused.

"I beg your pardon?"

"With the lizard. You just acted like Dawn's parent instead of a stranger." Stephen informed him. Abby and Connor nodded their agreement.

"Can we go?" Cutter said uncomfortably, stalking out. They all laughed but trailed after him, exchanging happy smiles as they did.


	5. Chapter 5

Dawn sat in the main operations centre, swinging on the railings and watching the lab technicians scurrying around. She was bored out of her mind and Jenny and Lester were in a meeting with Leek while the rest of the team were missing somewhere in the building. She huffed, resting her chin on the metal bar as she swung her legs.

Suddenly the anomaly alert sounded and just seconds later Lester's phone rang. Dawn watched as his face became quickly alarmed and he said something that had other two shooting to their feet, Jenny quickly exiting ahead of him and taking out her phone. She lifted her head, sensing something was up.

"My worst nightmare in one sentence!" Lester cursed as he strode from his office. Jenny fiddled with her phone, looked stressed.

"Mammoth on the M25!" she said disbelieving, raising the mobile to her ear.

"Awesome." Grinned Dawn. Jenny shot her a disapproving look.

"Columbian mammoth." Her father chimed in, leaning over the ADD. There was a flurry of activity, with an irritated Lester yelling and the rest of them looking slightly apprehensive. Cutter paused just before he left, spinning around and pointing a finger at Dawn. "Go to school!" he ordered her. She saluted mockingly, resting her chin on her arms and waving her fingers at them as they left.

Lester looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "As infuriating as it is, he has a point. Go. Learn something."

Dawn sighed, grabbing her bag and her shoes. "Fine. See you later!"

Lester was alone sat in his office, enjoying the rare quiet of the ARC, especially after the day it had been. He looked up, however, when he heard a noise, listening intently.

He thought he was by himself, bar a few technicians here and there who were working late. Cautiously, he rose and walked out onto the catwalk, surveying the empty room below him with his arms crossed tightly.

"Hello?" he called.

"James?" he jumped slightly as Dawn stepped into view, her shoes and bag he could now see were discarded by the doors.

"What are you doing here?" he asked tiredly.

"I was looking for my dad. He didn't come home; I thought he might want a change of clothes." She explained as he began to walk down to her.

_Clang_

They both froze. "Did you see anyone else here?" Lester asked quietly. She shook her head, eyes wide.

"There was nobody." She whispered. He sped up a little, then paused as he spotted the swinging light. Dawn swallowed. "Maybe there was a breeze…?"

"Maybe…" he walked quickly down the sloping catwalk, another clang making them both jump.

"James…?" Dawn began, turning on the spot nervously. He held up a finger, circling the parked van and peeking inside. There was another bang from behind them somewhere, prompting Dawn to move closer to him. He spun slowly, looking around the empty room before walking further into the centre.

"Anybody there?" he called out, catching Dawn's wrist and tugging on it gently to prompt her to go with him as he walked around the ADD, still scanning the room. Dawn suddenly tapped frantically on his shoulder, mouth open in surprise as she stared at the computer screens. He followed her gaze.

"You're on your own, _James._ There's no one there but you."

"Leek what the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed.

"Now, I want you to feel what it's like to be on the wrong end of your _grand disdain_." Leek pronounced. "The little man looking up at the big boss."

"Security!" Lester yelled, turning towards the doors. "I want security in here now!"

"They've all gone James." Leek said gleefully. "Either off on Cutter's wild goose chase or… dead." He shrugged. Lester stared at him in growing horror, sensing this wasn't just about hacking into the computer system. He turned back towards the doors desperately, then returned to face Leek.

Instead, a future predator stood there. He cried out as Dawn let out a scream, both of them scrambling back. He heard Leek say something as they ran out the doors just as the lights went out but he paid him no attention, instead grabbing Dawn's hand and almost pulling her down the corridor.

He rounded a corner and pressed himself against the wall, holding a finger to Dawn's mouth to keep her quiet. Cautiously, he reached a hand around the corner, searching for the button he knew was there.

The lights flickered on, showing an empty corridor. On and off, on and off. He cried out as the predator appeared in front of him, backing away with Dawn held slightly behind him. On and off. It scaled the walls and the ceiling at the other end of the corridor and then suddenly it was right there in front of him, leaping towards them both with its teeth bared and its arms outstretched. Lester shoved Dawn back, letting out a yell as a burning ripped through his shoulder and he was propelled to the floor.

He scrambled back, vaguely aware of the warmth coating his cheek. Dawn crawled frantically across the floor to the MP3 player, fumbling with it until music blasted. "James!" she cried when she spotted the blood seeping from his shoulder but he simply pushed her in front of him, away from the predator which was going berserk at the added noise.

"Through there!" he shoved her towards the armoury, leaping over the wall himself and pressing her onto the floor. "Cover your ears." He advised before he grabbed a gun from the shelf. She did so, huddling on the floor with her back against the wall and her fingers jammed into her ears to block the noise of the gun as he sprayed the room.

"Come on!" he caught her hand and yanked her off the floor, pulling her from the room just as the creature jumped through. He didn't let go as they sprinted back to the operations centre, bolting over to the controls for the cage of the mammoth. He palmed it and exhaled heavily, glancing at Dawn. "Go over there. Do not move, do not make a sound." He instructed.

"What…?" she began but he interrupted her.

"Just go. If this doesn't work, run as fast as you can and call Stephen or your father. The creature cannot be allowed to leave the ARC." he ordered, pushing her lightly to where she was supposed to go. She stumbled over there, one hand balancing her against the side of the van as she crouched near to its nose end.

"Leek!" Lester shouted. "You're never going to make me beg for my life, so let's just end it now."

"Alright, if you insist." Leek smirked. Dawn's eyes widened in fear but she kept silent. "Goodbye James."

"Oh, and one more thing?" Lester stood in his chosen spot, heart thumping. Leek looked suspicious.

"Yes…?"

"You _really_ are a tiresome little man." Lester pressed the button, glancing at the predator briefly before he closed his eyes. "C'mon…"

Dawn screamed as the predator leapt… and was promptly skewered by the mammoth. She gasped, hands clenching as she tried to catch the breath that seemed to have left her. But Lester simply stood there for a moment.

He stepped back slightly, dropping the controls to the floor and breathing heavily. "Good boy. Good mammoth." He managed, trying to slow his heart rate. Dawn shakily rose from her spot on the floor, rushing over to him and throwing her arms around him tightly. He grunted a little but hugged her back awkwardly, staring over her shoulder at the dead predator hanging limply from the tusk of the mammoth.

"Are you ok?" he checked, stepping back uncomfortably. She blinked.

"I'm not the one with the hole in his shoulder." She pointed out, voice not entirely steady. He wrapped his uninjured arm around her, withdrawing his phone and calling Jenny.

"Where are you?" he demanded as soon as she'd picked up.

"_On route to the ARC. Cutter is acting even more insane than usual and Leek is apparently not on our side any longer, if he ever even was_." She said in a rush. In the background, Lester heard an indignant 'hey!' coming from the Scottish scientist.

"Excellent." Lester said distractedly. "Hurry back."

There was a pause. "_Is everything ok_?" Jenny asked carefully.

"Fine, fine. However if you could arrange for one of the med teams to return to the ARC, it would be much appreciated."

"_James?_" Jenny questioned instantly in concern. "_What's happened?_"

"Leek happened. Just arrange it please." He hung up, glancing down at the pale teenager still tucked under his arm. She wasn't crying but she seemed in shock, trembling as they stood there. He continued to hold her until soldiers burst into the room, all of them pausing at the sight of the roaming mammoth.

"Well don't just stand there!" Lester snapped. "Get it back in its cage- _carefully. _And for the love of God, work out a way to get that _thing_ off of it."

"Sir…?" a man in a coat stepped forward timidly. "I'm Dr Tate… would you mind if I looked at your shoulder?"

"Yes, quite." Lester acknowledged, glancing down at the teenager. "Check Dawn out first- make sure she's ok." He instructed.

"That's ok, my colleague can do that." The doctor motioned for a woman behind him to step forward. Lester nodded.

"Very well. I'll see you in a minute Dawn." The woman led the teenager off while he trailed after the man, permitting him to look over his shoulder until Cutter poked his head around the door. "Heard you had an adventure."

Lester shot him a glaring look that wasn't all that effective when he was bleeding from his shoulder. "Oh wonderful. You're here."

"What happened?" Cutter asked. Lester quickly explained about the future predator and Leek, before asking the one questioned burning in his mind.

"Why would Leek go to so much trouble to kill me?"

"I think that was just the icing on the cake. I mean, surprisingly I think there's something much bigger than just you going on here." Cutter remarked dryly.

"Oh I see. First I'm a traitor and now I'm insignificant- you know, you're really going to hurt my feelings." Lester quipped sarcastically.

"No, look- if Leek wanted to kill you he could've just pushed you down a lift shaft but he didn't. He studied the anomalies, he worked out how to control the future predator. It doesn't sound like just a petty grudge." Cutter explained.

"So what does he want?" questioned Lester.

"I don't know."

The mammoth trumpeted just then, causing them both to look around. "You know, my kids are really pestering me for a pet. If you can't find a home for him…" he shrugged. Cutter raised an eyebrow as he began to walk away. "Oh, by the way. You should be proud of Dawn- I'm not sure any other teenager would have handled today as well as she did."

"I'm sorry?" Cutter questioned in confusion. Lester paused.

"Dawn. She's dealt with everything remarkably well. If my own children had been here I'm sure they would have gone to pieces but she was rather composed, given the situation." Lester explained. Cutter paled.

"Dawn was here? With you? When you were attacked?" he demanded, fear lancing through him.

Lester sighed. "Nobody told you. Wonderful."

"Where is she? Is she ok?" Cutter pressed.

"She's fine. She was in the room opposite me." Lester waved a hand in the general direction but before Cutter could do more than turn the teenager appeared, slipping quietly through the doors. Cutter was sure his heart skipped a beat when he saw the blood staining her shirt.

"Dawn!" he strode over to her, pulling her into a tight hug before he even realised what he was doing. Once he had, he half expected her to pull away but instead she clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" he asked quietly. She nodded into his t-shirt, not speaking but burrowing closer to him. Like this, Nick could feel her shuddering against him and so he held her tighter, ducking his head to press his lips to the top of her head. He didn't see a beaming Abby exchange a triumphant high-five with Connor, nor Lester and Jenny exchange a small smile.

After a few minutes, Dawn stepped back self consciously. "Are you hurt?" Nick asked her, allowing his gaze to drift down to the blood on her shirt. She shook her head.

"It's not mine." She told him, her voice quiet and rough. He looked at her, searching for any signs she was lying but he saw none and so simply wrapped an arm around her and drew her further into the room, where he was met by an irate Jenny.

"You're still quite cross with me, aren't you?" he realised after she'd simply stared at him for a few moments.

"You held a gun to my head!"

"Dad!" Dawn looked at him in horror.

"I set a trap and you walked into it. I mean, what was I supposed to think?" he pointed out, releasing Dawn to begin to circle her.

"Err... you could have trusted me?" Jenny said sarcastically, matching him step for step.

"But I had overwhelming evidence that you were a traitor."

"Well your evidence was wrong!"

"I really don't know what you're complaining about." He said innocently. "Nobody got hurt, the plan worked... in a roundabout kind of way."

He drew Dawn back into him and walked off. Dawn looked back at the brunette, mouthing an apology to her as her father led her over to the side. "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked her.

"I'm fine." She assured him quietly. "A little confused though… where did Leek get a future predator from?"

"I _really_ wish I knew." Her father frowned.

"Got it!" Connor yelled suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him, drifting closer to the ADD as he attempted to hack into the file. Dawn wasn't paying much attention to her father, until she heard his sudden cry of:

"It's a bomb! Everybody get out!"

They all looked at quizzically. "Get out!" he hollered. They all scrambled towards the door but Dawn hesitated, looking back at her father who wasn't moving with the rest of them.

"Dad?" she called.

"You too Dawn, go. But Connor? Not you." The dark haired man paused, as did Jenny in front of him. She grabbed Dawn's hand, meeting Cutter's eyes. He nodded his thanks as she tugged the reluctant girl from the room and Connor went over the professor.

"Jenny!" Dawn protested, attempting to get free from the strong grip. "My dad-"

"Knows what he's doing!" Jenny assured her, pulling her from the building. They jogged outside, Dawn wincing at the gravel and stones that cut into her bare feet. "Where are your shoes?" Jenny questioned in exasperation. Dawn shrugged.

"Inside somewhere, I think."

Jenny sighed but said nothing more, instead helping the girl cross to the tarmac where there were less stones. They waited in terse silence, Jenny not letting go of the girls hand when she saw how pale she was.

A minute passed.

Then two.

Three.

"Dad!" Dawn cried in relief when she spotted the blond man emerging from the building, Connor in tow.

"All diffused." Cutter called cheerfully. The staff began to trickle back into the building while Dawn glared at her father. "What?"

She reached up and slapped him around the head. "You stayed inside a building wired to explode!"

"Well technically it was the van…" he trailed off when he saw her glower. He raised his eyes to the sky for a moment, wrapping an arm around her and leading her inside. It took a couple of hours, but soon enough the damage the predatory had caused was fixed and the bomb and van had been disposed of, leaving them free to study the device from the creature.

"What is it?" Jenny questioned as she entered the room where Dawn stood with Connor, Abby and her father. She listened as her father explained, smiling slightly as an excited Connor rushed from the room with Jenny close behind.

"Should we call Stephen?" Abby asked once they'd left. Her father paused.

"Stephen's made his bed; let him lie in it." He decided. Abby nodded and left, leaving Dawn frowning.

"What's wrong with you and Uncle Stephen now?" she asked in exasperation. "The two of you really need to get over whatever it is nobody will tell me."

"It's complicated Dawn." Cutter looked down at the device in his hands, not wanting to get into this with his teenaged daughter. She sighed.

"There's a surprise." She muttered, stalking out.

Dawn was sitting with Connor and Abby, playing an intense game of 'Who am I?' with the former when he suddenly straightened, looking happy. "I can trace her!"

She watched they got all excited about getting Rex back, confusion crossing her face. "Your girlfriend stole Rex?" she enquired.

"Ex-girlfriend." Connor answered distractedly. They rushed out, Nick pausing by the teenager.

"Go home." He instructed her.

"But-" she began to protest.

"Straight home, Dawn. You must have homework or something to do."

She nodded with a sigh, waving at them as they parted in different directions. "Was that wise with Helen wandering about?" Jenny asked quietly.

"To my knowledge, Helen doesn't know Dawn exists. Unless Stephen told her, and if that were the case I suspect we may have already received a visit." Cutter answered. Jenny frowned unhappily, still not entirely believing him about the timelines.

Dawn walked home instead of taking a bus as she usually would, covering up her blood-stained shirt with a jacket she'd stolen from Stephen's locker. She let herself in, sighing slightly as she dumped her bag on the floor and leant against the closed door before she kicked off her shoes and wandered into the kitchen, flicking the switch on the kettle as she searched for the hot chocolate. A bump from behind her stopped her in her tracks.

Slowly, she spun on the spot, eyes wide.

Nothing.

"You're imagining it, Dawn." She whispered, choosing to ignore the tremble in her hand as she carefully placed the cup she was holding on the side. But the hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end and there was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed thickly, trying to think of where her phone was. In her bag, by the front door- too far away. There were three landlines in the house- one upstairs, one in the hall next to her bag and one in her dad's office.

Slowly, she walked to the door and peeked out. The hallway was empty, so she stepped out, running the few steps to her fathers' office and throwing the door open, ready to bolt if she had to. It was empty too.

She rushed over to the phone and dialled her father's number, waiting impatiently for the line to connect. When it did, she was surprised to hear the ringtone from behind her. She froze, eyes wide.

"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. It probably will be later too." A voice said mockingly. Dawn turned slowly, allowing the phone to slip through her fingers to the floor.

Leek stood in the doorway, her father's mobile held in his hand. "What do you want?" she whispered.

"Why you, of course." Leek feigned surprise. "Come along now."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Dawn stepped back, casting a glance around the room for something to help her.

"Oh, I'm sorry- did I make that sound like a request?" Leek made a hand motion and Dawn felt her stomach knot as two armed soldiers appeared behind him. "I'd much rather you came willingly Dawn. It reduces the possibility of… accidents."

Dawn took a deep breath, fingers clenching around the bracelet she wore. It had been a present from Stephen at christmas- a beautiful gold inlaid with precious gems with an inscription on the inside. "Help me." she prayed silently, stepping forwards towards Leek. One of the soldiers gripped her shoulder hard and guided her roughly towards the van that waited. "Help me!"


	6. Chapter 6

The room Dawn had been dumped in was dark and cold and she shivered uncontrollably, huddling deeper into the jacket she was wearing. She'd been down here for a while now, although it was impossible to tell exactly how long. The two guards outside the door were stoic and silent, even with each other and Dawn didn't think she'd ever felt quite so alone. Her father probably didn't even know Leek had taken her.

She was just beginning to drift off to sleep when the door clanged open and jolted her awake, disorientating her for a few moments. Leek looked down at her, a sinister smile playing across his lips. "Come along, Miss Cutter. We have an appointment to make."

Dawn rose, hugging Stephen's jacket around her even tighter as she followed him and pulling away from him when he gripped her shoulder harshly. "You're a sick bastard." She told Leek with revulsion. The whole building was dark, and they soon came to a room that was illuminated by a lighted table. Why would you not just install a light? Dawn wondered randomly. And then she spotted her father standing there with… her mother?

They both turned as they heard their footsteps, a soldier gripping her shoulder roughly to keep her on course. "Dawn!" Nick cried in alarm when he saw her. She shoved the soldier away from her, bolting into his arms. Leek attempted to grab her and pull her away from him but she shot daggers towards him, leaning away.

"Touch me again and I'll show you exactly what Uncle Stephen taught me in those self-defence lessons you so disapproved off." She hissed, remembering the man's reaction when he'd discovered the two of them in one of the rooms a few months back. Leek ground his teeth.

"What's he doing here?" Leek asked Helen. She cast a curious look at Dawn who Cutter was still holding tightly but smiled at him.

"I invited him."

Leek sighed. "Oh well, no matter. I wanted him to see this anyway."

He walked to a computer, flicking it on. "Give away our location and your friends die." He told them. Dawn watched with growing horror as he spoke to Lester, detailing exactly what'd he'd done.

"You're sick…" she whispered. Her father was staring at the man in anger.

"Money? Money! Is that was this is all about?!" he demanded furiously, letting go of Dawn to pace forwards.

"The anomalies are unstoppable now and in the future money will not mean very much." Leek said coldly. Dawn felt a chill crawl down her spine when he said that. "But knowledge and power will… and I intend to be very, _very_ powerful!"

"You! You knew all of this and yet you still helped him?" Cutter spun to face Helen, who shrugged.

"I need the right environment to conduct my research."

Behind them the computer started beeping and Cutter crossed over to it. "What? What's going on?" he questioned. Dawn stepped forward to look as well but the soldier prevented her from going any further. She frowned but didn't try again. "I underestimated you, Oliver, you're… you're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for."

Dawn frowned- she knew what her father sucking up sounded like and this was it. But why? "I know." Leek sighed smugly, obviously not picking up on it.

Cutter walked away from Leek, brushing a hand over Dawn's hair and giving her a tiny smile. She attempted one back although she was relatively sure it came out more like a grimace. She didn't know what exactly had prompted her fathers' change in attitude today but she certainly wasn't complaining.

"When did you figure out that we'd rigged the anomaly detector?" her father questioned, spinning back to face Leek.

"Oh, it wasn't difficult to see you'd found my spyware. After that all I'd needed to do was remotely upload a modification for my laptop." Leek boasted. "Simple really."

"No, I never saw that coming." Cutter said quietly.

"No of course you didn't." Leek looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "But if you think paying me compliments is going to buy your friends any more time… I'm afraid you're mistaken." He turned to the computer and typed, alarming Cutter.

"What's going on?" he crossed back to the console.

"I think the Americans call it dinner theatre." Leek said unaffectedly. Dawn watched in horror.

"Oh my god…" she breathed, appalled. On screen, the four grouped together, Connor holding back the three girls.

"Stop this!" Cutter cried, turning to Helen.

"Alright- you've had your nasty little joke." She looked at Leek, who simply stared back.

"Who said anything about a joke?"

"Stop this, now." Helen told him. His face darkened.

"You do not give me orders!" he yelled, pointing at her. Dawn instinctively flinched back slightly. "No one does!"

Cutter ran his hands through his hair, realising exactly how far the man had gone. He leant on the console, considering his next move. Quick as a flash he reached out and grabbed the glass of water, tipping it over the keyboard which fizzed and sparked, causing Dawn to jump slightly. A soldier grabbed him, digging his gun into Nick's stomach and causing him to cry out.

"Dad!" Dawn called out in panic, but another soldier prevented her from going to him. Beside her, Helen looked from her to Nick to Dawn with her mouth wide open in shock. Leek laughed.

"Cutter that's pathetic." He sneered. "I just patch my laptop up to the mainframe and I still have complete control over the-"

_"__Warning. Warning. System breech." _He was interrupted by the automated voice. He hit buttons, a frown growing over his face.

"Don't bother. Connor planted a virus in the detector. You downloaded it to your laptop when you hacked in. In a couple of minutes the whole system's gonna be paralysed." Nick informed him from where he was being held.

"_System failure imminent. System security disabled._" Nick used the distraction to break free from the guards grip, snatching his gun and hitting the guard holding Dawn around the head before catching and her hand and pulling her along with him. They stared at the screens, watching the four down below.

"C'mon, get out of there!" Cutter whispered. Dawn sighed in relief as they ran into the lift but then spun when she heard noises behind them. Her mother had bought down a soldier who had apparently woken up and attempted to come after them.

"You see Nick? We still make a good team." She smirked, glancing at Dawn briefly. He panted slightly, looking at her.

"We're not a team." He told her, drawing Dawn in closer to him. Helen tilted her head in confusion, so he elaborated. "I'm handing you over to Lester."

"No… you won't do that." She stepped closer, studying his face. "I heard what you said in the cell, I know you still love me."

Dawn scoffed. "You wish." She muttered. Her father's grip tightened momentarily.

"Don't flatter yourself." He told her. "I said exactly what you wanted to hear."

Dawn watched her process this. "You knew the cell was bugged." Helen realised.

"I thought it might be Leek's style so I thought I'd put on a little performance, just in case." Helen ducked her head. "Oh, I'm sorry honey- I didn't mean it." Nick mocked. She looked up, eyes hard.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care." He moved away, pushing Dawn gently behind him before he pointed the gun at her. "Now get in front of me before I shoot you."

She walked around him slowly, never turning her back to him. "I don't think you'll do that Nick. Not in front of your daughter." She backed away.

"Helen-" he began but then the other soldier woke and he fell to the floor, giving her just enough time to vanish into the darkness. "Dammit." He cursed softly once he'd dealt with the soldier, glancing over to Dawn. "You ok?"

"Fine." She answered shortly as she followed him. He glanced at her.

"You're annoyed with me."

She raised her eyebrow. "You didn't think I needed to know my mother was back in town?"

He stopped. "It literally happened this morning. There wasn't really an appropriate time."

She sighed. "Can we talk about this later please? When we aren't trapped with a bunch of prehistoric creatures wanting to eat us?"

"Fair enough."

They took off down the corridor, stopping in the middle of an open stairwell. "What's wrong?" Dawn asked but he shushed her, listening intently until he heard the familiar clicking. His eyes widened and he ran, pulling Dawn along with him.

"Not again…" she complained quietly.

They stood pressed against the wall, hearts thumping erratically. "On my count…" Nick whispered, holding up the appropriate fingers. On three, they ran but the creature knocked into them, throwing them both against the wall. But while Cutter merely slid onto the floor with a groan, Dawn's head struck the wall with a sickening crack and she fell lifelessly, not moving.

"Dawn…" he mumbled, trying to orientate himself as every muscle throbbed. He got to his feet, staggering slightly, glancing down at the motionless teenager with concern. He turned to face the creature, face hardening. "I've had enough of this." And with that he fired over and over, all across the room.

With no sign of the creature, he carefully knelt down and rolled Dawn over. Her breathing was fairly shallow but steady and her pulse normal as far as he could tell. What concerned him though was the crimson blood seeping from a wound on her head, drenching the collar of her shirt which had previously survived the earlier staining. He rocked back on his heels indecisively. He could leave her here, enabling him to fetch help faster but that would leave her vulnerable to the predator and completely alone if she woke up. Or he could take her with him, which would leave both of them a little more vulnerable and slow him down.

In the end, it was his heart that made the decision. He couldn't leave her here alone. So carefully, he slid his arms around her and picked her up, manoeuvring the gun so that it still pointed in front of them and began to make his way down the corridor, eyes scanning for any sign of the predator. He soon found himself in the room where the others had been earlier.

In his arms, Dawn whimpered and shifted slightly, mumbling incomprehensibly. "It's ok." Cutter murmured soothingly. And then froze as the predator walked up to him, clicking and creaking. He stayed completely still, until he became acutely aware of the blood from Dawn's head wound dripping onto the floor. The creature ducked slightly, sniffing it and with a mental apology to his daughter Cutter dropped her legs, using the arm that had been holding them to yank the neural clamp from its head.

He supported Dawn awkwardly with his other arm but it didn't work terribly well and so he dropped the gun, passing the clamp into that hand and lifting her again, unwilling to let her fall to the floor. Slow clapping sounded from beside him.

"Clearly a design fault. I'll have to correct that in the others." Leek walked closer.

"What others…?" Cutter asked, feeling a little sick. Leek smirked, looking up and Cutter followed his gaze, the sick feeling only intensifying. Dawn now had her eyes open and she was looking too, although a little confusedly.

"That's… very not good." She mumbled.

"A bit, yeah." Her father breathed. Dawn felt her vision darken again and fought to stay awake, vaguely hearing Leek boast something about armies and machines. And then Lester was there, strangely enough, although Dawn couldn't see him.

"Dad…?" she murmured, feeling her fathers grip suddenly tighten.

"James don't do it we're not important!" her father called out. Dawn tried to frown but couldn't quite get her muscles to obey her. She was so tired, but what was her father talking about?

And then suddenly they were moving quickly before Dawn felt an uncomfortable jolt zap through her body and both she and her father were thrown backwards. She felt herself hit the floor and had enough time to register an absent-minded 'ouch' before she succumbed to the black again.

Cutter blinked as he came around, frowning anxiously as he spotted Dawn lying in an unnatural position beside him, the predators just meters away devouring the remains of Oliver Leek. He crawled over to her, testing her pulse and breathing a sigh of relief when he found one through the slippery blood that coated her neck. As quietly as he could he gathered her up in his arms and slipped from the room, stumbling away until he couldn't any longer and he collapsed on some steps, placing Dawn beside him and holding her with one arm.

Stephen, meanwhile, was rushing after Helen as she strode through the facility, arguing with her about their next move. "Forget about Lester!" she snapped. Stephen frowned and glanced around the place, doing a double take at the sight of Nick. He paused, blinking, peering closer to confirm his eyesight.

Nick met his eyes darkly, blood trickling from his own head wound while Helen's gaze flickered between them, unsure who would do what. "You said he was dead…" Stephen said numbly. He looked at her, the pieces finally falling into place. "What have you done?"

"Not you too." Cutter felt grief run through him as he registered Stephen's presence. "Don't tell me you knew about this!"

"Oh, I've never seen this place before in my life." Stephen told him.

"I told you the truth!" Helen cried desperately. "Lester brought me here!"

"Ask her, ask her about what she really wanted to do, go on ask her about Leek, ask her how many people were gonna die!" Nick yelled, anger and anguish swirling through him.

"He's trying to trick you." Helen said.

"I so badly wanted to believe in you." Stephen said quietly, livid at her and at himself. "But that doesn't put you in the right!" he yelled at Stephen. Cutter finally rose, scooping up Dawn as he did so, and from the look on Stephen's face he hadn't spotted the teenager before.

"Stephen there's a whole army of predators in this here! If any of them make it above ground there's gonna be nobody left! Now if you wanna help people, we have to do this!" Cutter shouted back.

"They're too powerful Nick!" Helen protested. "There's nothing you can do."

"Well then you're going to have to think of something. Or we're all gonna die." He spat, unconsciously tightening his hold on Dawn. "Now you bought them here, you know them."

Helen thought about it for a minute. "The siren. The creatures associate the sound with food. They'll come back to the cage room whenever it sounds."

"Then if we can lock them in with the predators then they'll destroy each other." Nick realised, walking around to Stephen, still cradling Dawn against him. "C'mon then."

"What happened to her?" Stephen asked as they walked quickly.

"One of her predators happened to her." Cutter replied coldly, glaring at his wife. They entered the room and Stephen ran to the controls, quickly finding the button Cutter pointed out. Dawn stirred slightly as they ran out and immediately winced- it was too bright and too loud and her head was pounding extremely unpleasantly. And then she was being dropped to the floor and there was screaming… that wasn't her, was it?

No, it was her mother. And then there was shouting and they were all talking seriously but they were all a little fuzzy as she attempted to focus on them. She tried to call out to them but her mouth wasn't quite working yet.

"One of us has got to go back in." Cutter said, leaning against the wall. They all looked at each other.

"Da…?" Dawn slurred, blinking through the blurriness. Stephen was closest and he dropped to his knees beside her, brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"Hey kid. How many fingers am I holding up?" Dawn tried to concentrate on his hand but it kept moving and splitting into multiple ones.

"A lo…" she answered. Stephen frowned, looking at his single finger held in the air.

"She needs a hospital." He told the others.

"Uncle Stev'n… hurs…" she whispered.

"I know it hurts kid. We're gonna make it better." He promised, pressing a kiss to her head.

"I'll do it." Cutter decided suddenly, looking at his daughter. Stephen looked horrified.

"You'll never make it out!"

"Just… look after Dawn. Get her out of here and to a hospital." Cutter told him. He straightened, and leaned to murmur into his ear. "And remember Lester's not the enemy."

"Nick please!" Helen cried, not completely sure what she was pleading for. Stephen glanced at the unconscious teenager on the floor, and made his decision. He punched Nick, knocking him to the ground and entered the room.

"STEPHEN!" Cutter hollered, scrambling up as he saw the door slide closed.

"Sorry mate- I'm doing this one. Dawn needs you."

"No open the door! Open it!"

"Can't do it Nick. Can't take the risk." He began to back away, peaceful with his decision.

"Stephen open the door!" Cutter screamed. Stephen simply looked at him calmly.

"Tell Abby and Connor to stay out of trouble. And tell Dawn to always remember Lewes- she'll know what it means."

Cutter watched in horror. Stephen! He screamed mentally. This couldn't be happening- this _wasn't _happening there was so much they needed to say, so much he needed to tell him and explain to him and he couldn't deal with Dawn without him, and Abby and Connor needed him plus how were they supposed to track the creatures and get them back without him?

Nick crumpled to the floor, tears tracking down his cheeks and he sobbed quietly. Behind him, Dawn stared balefully at Helen as she snuck quietly out the door, not entirely sure what was happening but knowing that her mother was simply running from trouble once again, leaving others to pick up the mess. Helen paused, meeting her gaze for a moment before continuing on her way.

At the funeral, Nick stared numbly down at the grave. Beside him, Dawn stood between him and Jenny, silent with her arms wrapped around herself. Her usual colours had been replaced by a black dress and coat, her usually flowing hair pulled back in a bun with a black ribbon woven through it. The only colour was the gold bracelet worn around her left wrist, the colours of the gems sparkling whenever they caught the light.

She walked ahead of Jenny and her father, uncaring of whatever they were discussing until she heard Lester's call. "Cutter! Call from the ARC- new anomaly. Better get going. Sorry. Bad timing."

He gestured to Dawn and the teenager went to him willingly, slipping under his arm as he led her off.

"Is she ok?" Jenny asked him softly, casting a concerned glance at the girl. Cutter pressed his lips together.

"I don't know." He admitted. "She hasn't said a word since I broke the news to her at the hospital."

"That was weeks ago!"

"I know." He sighed heavily. Jenny shot him a sympathetic smile, walking off towards the car and leaving Nick alone. He looked over to Dawn to where she walking away, her head tilted towards the floor and then down to the photo in his hands. And slowly, deliberately he tore it up.

"Cutter?" Jenny called. "Are you coming?"

He let the pieces fall from his fingers and gave a nod. "Sure."


	7. Chapter 7

**_I hope everyone had a good New Year- please tell me what you think? x_**

Dawn was sitting in the operations centre, swinging her legs and seriously considering just banging her head against the table as she waited for someone to appear. Finally she glanced up to see Jenny walk in with the others. "Good morning." She said softly. Jenny beamed, happy to hear the teen's voice. She was talking again! She couldn't stop her stomach from doing a joyful flip.

"Good morning. I wasn't expecting to see you until later, what with it being the school holidays. Would have thought you'd take the opportunity to have a lie-in." She smiled warmly. Dawn shrugged.

"I got bored." She said dryly. Jenny laughed lightly, shaking her head as she crossed the room to dig up the file she needed. Cutter was just walking out, his head buried in a file and she called after him softly.

"Dawn's talking again." She murmured. He smiled distractedly.

"Good, good." He nodded, turning back to the smile and missing Jenny's eye roll. Dawn spotted her father as he walked away and quickly scrambled after him. "Dad, I need to talk to you!"

"Later Dawn." He called over his shoulder. She sighed in frustration, flopping dramatically down in a chair in the break room, resting her chin on her hand and kicking her legs slightly. She attempted to do some school work but couldn't concentrate properly.

"Hi Dawn." Jenny greeted absentmindedly when the teenager appeared in her office. Dawn nibbled her lip.

"Do you have a minute?"

"I… can it wait? I'm having problems with a reporter…" Jenny shot her an apologetic look. Dawn shot her a practiced smile.

"It's fine. I'll see you later." She wandered back to the break room after a quick check revealed Connor and Abby were both busy as well and tried to concentrate on her French work, until she spotted her father speeding past and so rushed off after him. "Dad! She attempted to gain her father's attention, having tried three times already that week and been brushed off, although admittedly not with actual words before now. He glanced at her, gathering up papers.

"Not now, Dawn. I'm busy."

"But it's important!"

"As important as predicting the anomalies and stopping any more deaths?" he questioned. Dawn ground her teeth. He turned to walk out. "I didn't think so. We'll talk later Dawn."

"I'm leaving!" Dawn blurted out a second before he got out the door. He halted, turning with a frown.

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm leaving." She repeated, leaning against the table slightly and looking at her feet before she met his gaze. "I won a scholarship to a private performing arts sixth form on the other side of London. They offer full boarding year round to all students and are more than willing to let me transfer as I haven't missed too much."

Cutter stared at her. "Why?" he asked simply.

"Are you serious?" Dawn exclaimed in astonishment. "Dad, you've made it very clear you don't want a daughter, let alone one like me. Well great for you, you can pretend I don't exist. It isn't quite so easy for me!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Cutter snapped, slamming the papers in his hand on the desk.

"You called me Helen this morning!" Dawn yelled, remembering the awkward scene when she'd come down to breakfast. "You've spent the last year acting like I'm not here! Admittedly you changed your mind there for about a day but you haven't even looked me in the eyes properly since Uncle Stephen died!"

Cutter was vaguely aware of Connor and Abby watching uncomfortably from the other side of the lab along with several technicians while Jenny and Lester had come out of his office to see what all the noise was about, but it didn't fully register that they had an audience. "You're being ridiculous!"

"_I'm_ being ridiculous? Tell me then! Look at me properly and tell me that when you look at me you don't see mum!" Dawn challenged. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "I'm not stupid dad! I see how you look at me when you don't think I'm paying attention! I'm not her and newsflash- I have absolutely no intention of being like her. But I won't be like you either, sitting around and waiting for someone you love to come back when they made the choice to leave!"

Dawn spun on the spot, intending to walk out but Cutter grabbed her arm. "Don't you dare! We're not finished here!"

"Oh, so _now_ you want to do the parent thing!?" Dawn laughed bitterly, wrenching her arm from his grip. "Here's some advice for you- it doesn't work that way! You can't just flick between treating me like a stranger and treating me like your daughter depending on your mood that day! You made your choice perfectly clear! Now live with it, and stay the hell out of my life!"

She turned away and began to walk. "You are not going to that school!"

"I already gave in the confirmation- you can't stop me and I'd very much like to see you try!" Dawn stormed out, and rushed down the corridors of the ARC, tears in her eyes.

She bolted outside, running blindly down the streets until she staggered to a halt, realising she didn't really know where she was. And on top of all that, she'd left her bag with her phone, keys and money in back at the ARC. She shoved her hands in her pockets, leaning against the wall behind her and closed her eyes for a moment. At least it's fairly warm for October, she thought wryly, glancing down at her jeans, shirt and converse.

Shaking herself off and pushing herself upright, she began to wander down the street she was on, glancing in the windows of the shops she passed. She drew to a pause when she spotted a gorgeous necklace in the window of a jewellers'. "Beautiful isn't it?" a voice said from behind her and she jumped, gasping. A man stood behind her, grinning lopsidedly. "Sorry- didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine. And yes- it's very beautiful." Dawn smiled, turning back to it to hide her sudden flush.

"No one to buy it for you?" the man asked. Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"Like who?"

"Oh, I don't know. Boyfriend, father, brother?"

"I'm an only child, my boyfriend dumped me last week because he didn't agree with a decision I made and my father... well, he's gone, for all intents and purposes." Dawn answered, not entirely sure why she was telling him this. The man frowned.

"A beautiful girl like you should have someone to buy her pretty things." He said. "How old are you?"

Dawn blushed and glanced at him, a little suspicious. But he seemed nice enough and he wasn't too much older than her. "Sixteen. Today, actually."

"It's your birthday?" the man questioned. Dawn nodded sadly. "Happy birthday then."

"Thanks." Dawn said genuinely. He was the first person to have said it to her.

"So what did you get?" he asked her.

"Nothing. Nobody remembered." She whispered miserably, feeling a wave of longing for Stephen. If he'd been alive, he'd promised to take her rock climbing- they hadn't been in ages.

"Would you wait here a second?" the man asked her. She nodded confusedly. He vanished around the corner and she leant against the wall, watching the people rush past her disinterestedly until he reappeared, holding his hands behind his back. "Close your eyes."

Dawn did as she was told a little hesitantly. She felt something cool touch her neck and immediately opened them again, glancing down and bringing up her hand to touch the necklace she'd been admiring just minutes before. She gasped, raising her gaze to stare at the man.

"Happy birthday." He smiled.

She stared at him. "I don't understand."

"It's a birthday present." He grinned. "I believe the customary response is 'thank you'."

"You don't even know my name!" she said disbelievingly. He shrugged.

"I don't need to. You're a beautiful girl who looked like she needed cheering up. It can be my good deed for the day." He winked. She let out an astonished laugh.

"Then… thank you." She stepped forward and kissed his cheek. He smiled disarmingly.

"I'm Adam, by the way."

"Dawn." They shook hands, grinning.

"It's very nice to meet you Dawn. Might I interest you in a drink?" he questioned. She raised an eyebrow.

"You buying?"

"Absolutely. We'll make this the best birthday ever for you." He held out his arm and she took it with a giggle, throwing caution to the wind. It wasn't like anyone would miss her if anything happened, anyway.

Dawn was inarguably and entirely, completely off her face drunk. It wasn't the first time (she went to a performing arts school and was in a higher year group for heavens sake- she couldn't have stayed sober if she'd tried!) but she happened to be very lost, and with a bunch of strangers. Adam was with her, but they'd bumped into some friends of his who had all bought her drinks when he's explained the situation.

Mind you, she thought disjointedly, some of them were in worse shape than her. She was still standing, at least. The music in the club they were in pounded through her body, the lights flashed and spun while the alcohol buzzed pleasantly in her veins. She leant over to Adam, shouting in his ear to be heard. "Dance with me?"

He nodded, standing and taking her hand as they walked to the dance floor. Dawn let herself close off, moving her body instinctively to the beat, dancing more around Adam than with him although by the look on his face he didn't mind.

It didn't take long before another man cut in, and then another and another. She lost count, never staying with one too long and even dancing with a couple of women. She twirled and slithered, dipping and leaping her way around the dance floor until hours later, she ended up back in Adam's arms. "So was this a better birthday?" he asked in her ear. She nodded with a smile.

"Much. Thank you!" she laughed, winding her arms around his neck and relishing how free the alcohol made her feel.

"Wanna get out of here?" he asked. She nodded.

She leant her head on his shoulder as they walked, prompting him to wrap an arm around her. "What time is it?" she asked suddenly.

"Past nine. Why, do you want to go home? I am supposed to be starting a new job tomorrow…"

She shook her head with a smile. "You promised me the best birthday ever, remember? There's still three hours left."

He chuckled. "That I did." He held her tighter, urging her on. "C'mon- I know a place."

Dawn felt only a little guilty as they broke into a locked park by jumping the gate- although not without some difficulty due to the alcohol. They ran and giggled until they came to a clearing and threw themselves to the floor. "Drink?" Adam offered, holding up a bottle of something. Dawn grinned, holding out her hand and drinking deeply before passing it back. She stared up at the stars, mentally picking out constellations.

"How many firsts have you had tonight?" Adam asked suddenly. She shrugged.

"A few."

"Like?" he rolled to face her, propping his head on his hand. She looked at him.

"Well… I've never kissed a girl before." She said slyly. "I've never been out so late without an adult knowing where I am, never done body shots. Never been to a club." She rolled as well so they were pressed against each other, faces inches apart. "Why?"

He smirked, trailing his fingers over her features. "Want to try another first before your birthday ends?"

Dawn gave him a slow smile, dizzy as alcohol and adrenaline rushed through her. "I'd have to think about it."

He offered her the bottle again but she shook her head, pushing it away. He frowned. "Drink." He insisted. Dawn felt something niggle at the back of her head.

"I'll be sick if I do." She warned. He paused, accepting it and lowering the bottle. But the twinkle that had been in his eyes earlier had gone, and through the drunk haze Dawn felt uncertainty trickle down her spine.

Cutter paced up and down his office at home, cursing his teenage daughter. Jenny, Abby and Connor were out looking for her- Lester had volunteered to stay at the ARC in case she returned there. They'd discovered quickly that all her belongings were still at the ARC, and none of her friends had seen her.

Cutter jumped as his phone rang, jolting him from his reverie. He rushed over to it, pressing the answer button without even glancing at caller ID. "Hello?"

"Cutter, it's Jenny." The brunette said. "We haven't found her."

He sighed disappointedly. "Where else is there to check?" he asked in frustration.

"I don't know. Connor and I have been to Stephen's grave, her school, the park. We've all checked our own houses too and her friends and Abby went to her dance studio and then to the forest of Dean but the rangers there haven't seen her. We've checked all the hospitals and police stations and even ventured into the local teenage hangout spots. Nobody's seen her." Jenny rubbed the bridge of her nose. Cutter swore violently. "I'll call you if we find anything. We're not going to give up Nick." She promised before hanging up. She turned back to Connor, who was sitting at the ADD. "Well?"

"I uploaded her picture into a programme I created- it's basically running her image through every CCTV camera in London." Connor explained.

"Yes but will it find her?" Lester was standing close to them, his arms crossed as he stared down at them. Connor nodded.

"London has more CCTV cameras than any other city in the world. She'll pop up on one sooner or later."

"How hard can it be to find a fifteen year old in London?" Lester muttered disbelievingly. Jenny froze.

"Oh no…" she breathed.

"What?" two voices questioned simultaneously.

"She's not fifteen. She's sixteen." Jenny's voice was muffled as she covered her face with her hands. She raised her face up. "It's her birthday today."

There was a long silence. "Oh bugger…" Lester sighed.

"None of us remembered!" Connor groaned in horror.

"No wonder she's gone off." Jenny buried her head in her hands as she sat at a nearby desk. And then they all jolted as the computer beeped loudly. "Connor?" she questioned hopefully.

"I found her, as of three hours ago." He told them, typing frantically. "She was in a nightclub about fifteen miles from here… blimey, how'd she get that far away?"

"Because she's a lot fitter than you." Jenny said dryly. "Where is she now?"

"I don't know… there are only three cameras in the club. Oh wait…"

"What?" Lester said impatiently.

"She left by the backdoor with some guy about two hours ago." Connor bought the image up on screen. Lester frowned.

"How old is he?" He questioned.

"Too old." Jenny grouched unhappily. "Find out who is he Connor. Where did they go next?"

"Working on it…" Connor answer distractedly, frowning slightly as he peered at the screen. "I've got them walking down the street but after that none of the camera's pick them up again."

"Well, where could they have gone?" quizzed Jenny. Connor shrugged.

"I don't know." He said in frustration. Then abruptly paled.

"Oh no…" he murmured. "Jenny…!"

Jenny leaned over, a little alarmed at his tone and quickly read the information on the screen. "What is it?" Lester asked loudly.

"The man's name is Adam Devinski. He's twenty seven and wanted by the police on suspicion of over a dozen abductions of teenaged girls in the past two years." Jenny choked out as Connor bent over his keyboard with a new fervour.

"His pattern seems to be picking vulnerable girls who won't be easily missed, showering them with gifts and attention, days out with nice trips and then they just… vanish. Their friends and relatives talk of a new, rich boyfriend and the police assume they've run away and no one really cares enough to check." Connor read the data from the screen, looking vaguely sick. Jenny ran her hands through her hair.

"Dawn's had two constant parental figures since she was seven and she's lost them both in the last year. She's lonely and missing the attention even if she doesn't realise she is… she's the perfect victim." Jenny realised numbly.

"Would Dawn really fall for it?" Lester questioned.

"Normally no. But today… her birthday, a month since her godfather and parental figure died, weeks away from leaving home and a father who portrays to the world that he doesn't care… yeah, I think she might. Or at least not care that she was." Jenny wrapped her arms around herself.

"Connor, any time today would be wonderful." Lester said tersely. Connor flinched slightly but hunched over even further over the keyboard, fingers a blur. Jenny frowned at Lester, stepping forward and placing a hand on Connor's shoulder.

"You can do this." She assured him quietly. He glanced up at her, and his muscles relaxed almost imperceptibly. He turned to the screens, his posture slowly becoming more confident as his fingers flew over the keys.

"I've found her!" he cried joyfully a few minutes later. "She and this Adam went into the park half an hour ago!"

"Call Abby!" Jenny instructed him. He paused.

"Not Cutter?"

"He's on the way- we'll pick him up." To her surprise, he and Lester both followed her but she said nothing, choosing instead to simply drive as fast as she could to Cutter's house. She flew from her seat, knocked frantically and he appeared within seconds. "What-?" he stared to question but she grabbed his arm, hauling him down the path.

"We'll explain on the way!" Connor did so as she sped to the area Connor indicated on his GPS, fingers tapping anxiously until she'd pulled up and they all scrambled out, meeting Abby in the car park.

"Dawn!" they shouted, jogging down the paths.

"Hello?" Abby called out.

"Dawn!"

"Dawn!"

"Dawn, are you here?"

"Dawn!"

Dawn could hear them but she was sluggish, unable to move her limbs properly. With difficulty, she turned her head to the side to see Adam with a frown on his face. "I thought you said you had nobody to miss you? Oh well, no matter- we'll just have expedite things slightly." He leant over and opened her mouth, pouring half the liquid from the bottle in. She choked, spluttering as she struggled to swallow. He smiled. "Good girl."

He trailed his fingers over her cheek, and she whimpered. "Wha…?" she gasped out with some concentration. He smirked.

"Don't you fret. You'll be asleep soon- and then you'll have a new life. And with any luck, a pretty girl like you should make me very rich indeed." He leered at her and she sobbed weakly, a tear trickling down her cheek as she realised his meaning. _Help me… _she tried to scream but nothing came out. She wept as darkness played around the edges of her vision, her mind slowly becoming thicker. She fought it stubbornly, desperately trying to gather enough strength to scream.

"_Whistle Dawn. As loud as you can._" She heard Stephen whisper in her ear. She could manage that, she discovered and did so, over and over until Adam clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Shut up you little b-"

"Get the hell away from my daughter you piece of crap." Dawn sobbed in relief as she heard her father's voice come from beside her, a gun in his hands as he stared coldly at the man leaning over her. She flicked her eyes in his direction, tears falling freely as she spotted his entire team. Adam had put his hands on his head, lying on his stomach with Abby and Lester leaning over him and her father took the opportunity to rush over to her, Jenny and Connor close behind him.

"Dawn?" he questioned frantically, his hands ghosting over her as he tried to spot any injuries.

"_Daddy_…" she sobbed in a gasp, eyes fluttering shut as he gathered her into his arms.

"I NEED AN AMBULANCE!" she heard her father scream before she succumbed to the black completely.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Hi! Thank you so much to Love and Heartbreak21 and aunteeneenah for their reviews- I'm glad you like it! X_**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Dawn felt annoyance rush through her at the constant sound.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Where was that coming from?

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

She forced her eyes open, but immediately shut them again as the bright light seared her eyes. She whimpered slightly, turning her head as she struggled to orientate herself.

"Dawn?" a gentle voice asked, and Dawn felt a hand ghost over her head.

"Mum?" she mumbled in confusion. There was a pause.

"No honey, it's Jenny. Can you open your eyes for me?"

Dawn did as she requested, flinching against the harsh light and blinking as she attempted to focus on the blurry figure in front of her. "Jenny? What happened?" she questioned in a whisper.

"Don't you remember?"

Dawn blinked at her. "I… I'm not…?" she felt her eyes widen and her breathing quicken as memories started coming back to her. The necklace, the club, the drink. Adam.

"Dawn, Dawn it's ok!" Jenny soothed, worried at the increased beeping of the machines. Dawn gasped for breath.

"Oh my God! What did he do to me!?" she tried to sit up but couldn't quite manage it, and Jenny was quick to put her hands on the teenagers shoulders.

"Dawn! Stay still, you're going to hurt yourself! He drugged you, you've been unconscious for a couple of days. But you're fine, ok? You're fine." Jenny told her calmingly. The teenager stopped struggling, and slowly Jenny released her. "Okay?"

Dawn nodded, visibly upset and exhausted. "Where's dad?" she asked tearfully.

Jenny winced. "He's… uh, he's in the bathroom. He'll be here soon." She lied. Dawn didn't notice, nodding sleepily. "Go to sleep honey. I'll be here when you wake up." Jenny encouraged softly, stroking her hand over her head. Dawn didn't fight it, drifting off again and Jenny sat back, grinding her teeth.

"Damn it Cutter." She cursed.

When Dawn woke up the next time, the lights had been darkened and a quick glance outside her window told her that it was night. In the dimness, she could just make out the figure of Jenny sleeping beside her bed, curled up in a chair that the teenager hoped was more comfortable than it looked.

She swallowed thickly, resting back against her pillows as she sorted through her jumbled memories. There were large chunks missing, especially towards the end but she thought she got the general gist of what had happened.

How could she have been so stupid? She asked herself. She knew there'd been something wrong with Adam, knew that something didn't add up but she'd ignored it. No matter what she'd felt, she shouldn't have put herself in danger like that, she acknowledged with a sigh.

"Stop thinking so loudly." A voice grumbled groggily. Dawn glanced over to Jenny.

"Sorry." She whispered. Jenny lifted her head, stretching out her body and looking at her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like an idiot."

Jenny let out an amused laugh. "I can see why." She smiled, but quickly became serious again. "What were you thinking Dawn?"

"I wasn't. I just wanted to forget, Jenny. I knew there was something wrong, but I didn't care." She confessed. Jenny sighed.

"Oh honey. Do you even understand the danger you put yourself in?"

Dawn nodded morosely. "He uh, stated it quite explicitly." She grimaced.

"I'm not talking about that." Jenny shook her head. "Dawn, you were sixteen years old and in a club drinking a copious amount of alcohol. You had no idea how you would react to alcohol- you could have given yourself alcohol poisoning, been slipped something in a drink, or ended up having an accident!"

"Um… Jen, that wasn't the first time I've been drunk." Dawn explained in amusement. "I've drunk a lot more than that at parties and after performances."

She was suddenly quite glad the darkness hid Jenny's expression.

"Do you have a death wish?!" the brunette demanded. Dawn winced.

"No, but I'm younger than the rest of my year group, remember? I just wanted to fit in, and it's not like I'm alone or in danger, we're not stupid. Someone remains sober to keep an eye on us." She explained hastily. Jenny sighed, and Dawn was relatively sure she was pinching the bridge of her nose right now. "Jenny… where's my dad?" she asked softly. Jenny froze.

"He uh…"

"He's not here at all, is he?" Dawn realised. Jenny ducked her head.

"I'm sorry honey. As soon as the doctors told us you were going to be okay he left. The rest of us have been taking it in turns to sit with you." She admitted.

"It's okay." Dawn shrugged, pushing down the hurt and disappointment and snuggled down into the covers. "You should go home and get some sleep."

"I'm not leaving. Dawn…" Jenny began but the teenager interrupted her.

"Jen, it's fine really. It's not the first time. I'm used to it." they sat in silence until Jenny heard her breathing even out and deepen.

"You shouldn't have to be." She whispered.

Dawn was spinning in a chair in the ARC, bored out of her mind. She'd spent the last two weeks since she'd gotten out of hospital being watched like a hawk and when an anomaly alert had gone off her father had stuck her here. In the corner, a TV played and Dawn watched in amusement as the news anchors told of a fun run that got out of hand, the reporter gesturing wildly over the large crowd of people standing behind her. Jenny chose that moment to walk in, smiling a greeting at Dawn. "Hi honey."

"Hey. That your work?" she gestured to the TV screen with a smirk. Jenny frowned amusedly.

"You try covering up an ancient something-o-saurus in the middle of central London! See if you can do better."

"That an offer?" Dawn said hopefully.

"No." her father interrupted. Dawn made a face behind his back, leaning back into a chair and watching with interest as a new brunette women stared around in wonder. Another new staff member? She wondered. She'd already met Captain Becker earlier that day- what was this woman for?

She grew quickly bored when she realised the woman was just a witness, albeit a surprisingly calm one and stuck her headphones in, only surfacing when Jenny tapped her shoulder. "What's wrong?" she inquired knowingly, sitting beside her.

Dawn glanced round, saw the room was empty and sighed. "My dad and I've regressed about a year, by my guess."

"I'm sorry?" Jenny questioned in bemusement.

"He's acknowledging I exist but acting like he'd rather I didn't and I'm trying to sneak around as much as possible. The only difference is I'm now being treated like a nine year old and am not allowed to leave the house alone." Dawn explained with a grimace.

"You can kind of see why…" Jenny pointed out gently. Dawn scowled.

"I know! But I haven't been this supervised in years and dad doesn't even do it in a particularly pleasant way!" she complained. "Still, I'll be gone in a couple of weeks so it doesn't matter that much."

Jenny frowned. "You're still going?"

"Of course. I'm hardly going to stay am I?"

Before either could say anymore Cutter appeared in the doorway. "Dawn, let's go." he called sharply. Dawn sighed, raising an eyebrow at Jenny as she stood and grabbed her bag.

"Bye Jen."

"Bye." Jenny watched her go worriedly, concern flickering through her.

The next morning Dawn wandered into the break room, waving absently at Becker as she passed him at security. "Hey Dawn!" Abby called, being the first to spot her from her seat with Connor, Jenny and the new woman.

"Morning all." Dawn grinned tiredly, dropping into the empty seat and smiling at the new brunette woman. "Hello."

"Hi…"

"Oh, Sarah you haven't met Dawn yet have you?" Jenny realised. "Dawn, this is Dr Sarah Page. Sarah, Dawn Cutter."

"Cutter? As in…?"

"Professor Cutter, yeah. I'm his daughter." Dawn grimaced. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Sarah smiled. They chatted amongst themselves for a while, until Connor and Abby announced that they had to go and Jenny got called away by Lester.

Cutter was just about to enter the room when Sarah spoke and something made him pause, listening from out of sight. "Can I ask you something?" Sarah asked the teenager. She nodded.

"Sure."

"How did you get involved in this? I mean… you're a teenager." Sarah gestures awkwardly while Dawn giggled. Behind the wall, Cutter listened more intently, realising he didn't actually know this story.

"Um… pure stubbornness, actually." Dawn grinned. "Connor came to dad with this story about a creature sighting and I happened to be in his office at the time because it was a teacher training day at school. Dad didn't originally want to go but then Connor bought up my mum and it was in forest of Dean so they went anyway- it was where she disappeared. We didn't know she was alive at that point. When they decided to go check it out I asked to go too."

"And your dad let you?" Sarah asked in surprise. Dawn grinned, shaking her head.

"Of course not. He expressly told me to go home and stay there. But I refused to and snuck into the car when he wasn't watching."

"Nobody noticed?"

"Connor did, but kept quiet for me and uncle Stephen thought I had a right to know if it concerned my mum so he didn't say anything either. I ducked down and kept quiet until we were over half way there and it was too late to turn back. Dad was furious with me." she smiled slightly at the memory. "He grounded me for a month and told me that if I even thought about wandering off he'd double it. Not that I would have in that place…" her smile dimmed slightly. Sarah was about to question it when she snapped back into the present.

"Anyway, we met Leek and then ran into Abby with a large Scutosaurus in the woods, got introduced to Lester and a few months later the ARC was built. At some point it just sort of became accepted that I would be around and nobody questioned it. " Dawn shrugged with a beaming smile. Behind the door, Cutter felt pain lance through his chest when he realised he'd been expecting Claudia's name instead of Leek's and he crept away from the door, retreating to his office and stubbornly refusing to leave for the rest of the day.

That evening, Jenny strode down the corridors, searching the rooms for Cutter as she moved past them. "Cutter!" she called sharply once she'd eventually tracked him down to one of his labs where he was working on the prediction model with Sarah. He raised an eyebrow at her, opening his mouth to say something but before he could she cut him off, glaring at him fiercely. "Nicolas Cutter shut up and listen!" she slammed her hands down on his desk to emphasise her point, leaning towards him slightly. "Dawn is leaving for her new school in two weeks and even the cleaning lady knows you don't want her to go! So the question is why the hell you're still acting like you do?!"

"I've forbidden her from going." He pointed out, crossing his arms defensively. She growled- yes, actually growled- at him.

"You are the most impossible man I have ever met! By forbidding her to go you're only pushing her away more! You love her, everyone knows it! For heaven's sake, you carried her around for hours in Leeks' facility! You nearly killed the man that drugged her- he only got out of the hospital wing in prison a few days ago. Cutter, she thinks you only want her to stay because you think she's going to turn out like Helen and you're trying to stop that from happening!"

Cutter rolled his eyes. "The only way she resembles Helen is in looks."

"If I weren't on the other side of the desk right now you'd be getting a slap Nick Cutter!" Jenny ground out in frustration. "You can't do this to her! You treating her like this is how we ended up having to stop her being abducted by a child trafficker!"

"That wasn't my fault- she should have known better than to trust a man like that!" he defended.

"CUTTER!" she yelled. "You need to listen to me, properly. She didn't trust him, but she was so lonely and upset that she didn't care. You did that to her. Now, if she leaves for this new school? You are going to lose her forever. She's never going to come back, you're never going to get another chance. She will walk out of your life and you will never see her again unless you do something to stop it. Soon."

Cutter flailed for a moment. "What am I supposed to do Jenny? She wants a father and I can't be that to her. I don't know how."

Jenny stared at him for a moment, then made an considerable effort to soften her tone. "Can't you see that you already are?" she asked gently. "I'm not talking about genetically- she loves _you _Nick. God knows why, but she does. She doesn't care that you don't remember her childhood or that you don't know she hates mushrooms and cherries. She loves you."

"Then why is she leaving?" Cutter croaked out.

"Because she doesn't know that you love her and it's killing her." she leant closer, seeing by the look on his face that she was finally getting through to him. "She's spent her whole life with two constants- you and Stephen. And she effectively lost you and then lost Stephen but she still has to see you every day. It's like…" Jenny searched for the right comparison. "It's like you with Claudia Brown and I." she settled on, softening her tone even further. "Except it's so much worse because you're her _father_, the only parent she's ever really had."

In front of her, Cutter had frozen as he processed. He looked up at her desolately. "What do I do?"

"Stop treating her like a stranger and start treating her like your daughter." Jenny told him. "You've done it before but always stopped again after- not that I have a clue why. Now I'm taking her out for a few hours and you better have figured this out by the time I bring her home, do you understand?"

She turned on her heel and swept out without waiting for a reply, leaving Cutter blinking in surprise. He sat at his desk staring into space for hours, not noticing when various technicians and personal began to file past on their way home. Sarah, however, worked quietly in the background and quietly warded off visitors until well after darkness had fallen, at which point she decided it was time to break the professor out of his reverie. Before she could however, he suddenly jumped up and seized a piece of paper and pen, scribbling furiously. Every so often he'd stop dead and simply stare, sometimes for minutes on end before screwing the paper into a ball and starting again.

After a few more hours Sarah really wanted to go home and so decided to stop him, crossing the room to his side and peeking at the paper, smiling slightly when she saw what was on it. "Cutter?" she questioned gently, placing a hand lightly on his arm when he didn't immediately respond. He jolted, blinking rapidly to bring her into focus.

"What?" he questioned in confusion.

"It's late." Sarah explained. "Everyone else is gone."

Cutter blinked again, looking around the empty labs. "Oh. Why are you still here then?"

"So you didn't stay here all night." Sarah grabbed her coat and shrugged it on, catching the strap of her bag to sling it over her shoulder. "Cutter, some unwarranted advice? Just tell Dawn how you really feel- properly I mean. All those ideas…?" she gestured to the paper that littered the floor. "They're good, but they're not going to work. She'll only be on her guard. Just speak from the heart without any fanfare."

She walked out, leaving Cutter sitting alone in the lab in surprise. What was it with everyone walking out on him today? He gathered up his coat, vaguely noting it was past midnight. He drove home, waving goodbye to the security guard and went straight to Dawn's room, smiling when he saw her sprawled across her bed, her duvet pushed down and her hair splayed across the pillow. The moonlight streaking through the slit in the curtains was just enough light to see the room. The smile faded slightly however when he saw that a suitcase lay on the floor and some of the summer clothes she didn't currently need were already folded into it, along with some books and photo frames.

And it hit him.

Dawn was serious- she wanted to leave, was going to if he didn't stop it. Carefully, he lifted the duvet over her, tucking it around her shoulders before easing himself down to sit on the edge of the bed. She stirred, murmuring incomprehensibly before her eyes fluttered open. "Dad?" she questioned thickly, confused.

"It's ok." He soothed, brushing a hand over her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

"Are you alright?" she asked drowsily, already slipping under again but forcing her eyes open further in concern.

"I'm fine." He assured her softly. "Everything's fine."

She allowed herself to fall back to sleep and he marvelled that that simple assurance from him could comfort her so. Maybe Jenny was right- maybe he really could do this.

He sat in Dawn's room for a little longer before tiptoeing out again, wandering down to the kitchen and drinking coffee after coffee while considering things. He barely noticed when the sun rose, until Dawn stumbled downstairs, still half asleep but mostly dressed with her hair brushed. "Mornin'…" she mumbled, padding past him to the kettle.

"Morning. Did you know your socks are odd?" he greeted. She blinked, looking down at her feet before shrugging.

"I think it's going to be that kind of day…" she said absently, wiggling her toes. He smiled amusedly at her- definitely not a morning person. She glanced at him, doing a double take. "Were you up all night? You look terrible."

"Well thank you, daughter dear. Just what I want to hear in the morning." He said sarcastically. She giggled, then realised what he'd said and froze, turning to look at him with wide eyes. He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes…?" he drew the word out quizzically. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"Nothing." She decided, turning from him and concluding she'd imagined it. She ate her cereal quietly while he flicked through a palaeontology magazine, waiting until she'd finished before he sat her down. But as soon as she had she disappeared to her room, not giving him the chance to say anything. He sighed.

"Dawn?" he took a deep breath and knocked on her door a few hours later before he opened it, peering in cautiously. She was sitting cross legged on the floor, headphones in her ears while looking through a large book that sat balanced on her lap. "Dawn!" she gasped when he touched her shoulder, ripping the earphones out.

"Dad! You scared the crap out of me!" she protested as she dropped them on the floor. He frowned.

"Language." He admonished. She blinked.

"Sorry…" she was watching him quizzically and- as much as he hated to admit it- a little warily.

"We need to talk." He told her, lowering himself to sit next to her.

"Okay…"

"Dawn… I know I haven't been acting particularly well towards you over the last year." He began. She started to say something but he cut her off gently. "No, let me talk or I'll never get it out. In my timeline, Helen and I never had children. I wanted them but she didn't, and I'd made my peace with that. And then I came back and Claudia didn't exist, but you did and my dream job did and it seemed like the cruellest thing in the world, that I had everything I'd ever wanted but not the one thing I didn't know I did. And you were this amazing teenager who was bright and funny and so full of life- the complete opposite to me. What could I possibly offer you? So I pushed you away and hoped that I would discover how to change the timelines back but then somewhere along the line I realised that for all my attempts you'd still wormed your way into my hear and I couldn't cope with that, so I pushed you away even harder. And you should thank Jenny because she gave me a metaphorical slap around the head yesterday and made me see sense. Dawn, I know you're not like your mother. You got all the best bits of her and none of her worst, thank god. That's not the reason I don't want you to go to that school."

Dawn was gaping at him in shock. "Then… why…?"

"Because you're my daughter. You're my daughter and I don't want you to leave." He said, a hint of plea in his voice.

"I… I need to think." She whispered, scrambling to her feet and fleeing the room, causing the book on her lap to fall to the floor. Seconds later, the front door slammed. Cutter sighed, running a hand through his hair and cursing.

Dawn bolted down the street until she was far enough away that she was sure she wasn't being followed and which point she slowed to a walk, gulping in gasps of air. She walked for over an hour until she'd reached the centre of London, at which point she realised she'd been heading towards Jenny's flat all along. Not wanting to examine that too closely, she ducked and dove through the crowds until she'd reached the older woman's building, rushing up the stairs and knocking insistently on the door.

"_Who is it_?" Jenny's called out, irritation running though her voice.

"Jen It's me. Can I come in?" Dawn only realised there were tears running down her cheeks when she heard her voice crack. Immediately the door swung open.

"Dawn?" Jenny scanned her automatically for injuries, relaxing slightly when she saw none and simply opening her arms to the girl, who threw herself into them. She sobbed into Jenny's shoulder, shaking slightly. "It's ok. It's ok, I've got you." Jenny murmured, managing to manoeuvre them inside and close the door. "Dawn, what happened? What did Nick do now?"

Dawn let out a choking laugh. "I love how you already know it's him."

Jenny smiled slightly, holding her closer. "What did he do?" she repeated, brushing a lock of hair from her eyes. Dawn told her what he'd said, leaving Jenny puzzled.

"Isn't this a good thing?" she questioned gently. Dawn looked lost.

"I don't know." She confessed. "I just… I can't… I'm..."

"Confused?" Jenny suggested softly. Dawn nodded as a fresh wave of tears cascaded down her face, prompting Jenny to embrace her tightly, rocking her gently until the girl had cried herself to sleep. Jenny eased her down to lay on the sofa, covering her up with the throw that sat along the back and retreating to the kitchen, sending a quick text to Cutter to reassure him Dawn was safe.

She placed her phone on the side, withdrawing a bottle of wine from her fridge and pouring herself a large glass, sighing as she leant on one of the stalls.

How the heck had she been dragged into this mess, she thought amusedly, taking a gulp of her wine and leaning her chin on her hands. An emotionally damaged teenage girl, an emotionally closed off father and dinosaurs. She groaned. "I feel like I've turned into a therapist!"


	9. Chapter 9

Jenny was pulled from sleep the next morning by her alarm blaring insistently beside her. Beside her, Dawn whimpered at the harsh noise and snuggled deeper into the covers. She'd woken up after a couple of hours and she and Jenny had eaten an extortionate amount of ice cream and watched musicals until past midnight when they'd fallen into bed in sugar coma's. Jenny groaned, rolling over and fumbling with it until it silenced. "Bloody thing." She muttered. She swung herself out of bed and hopped into the shower, quickly dressing and going to wake Dawn, who was sound asleep. Jenny smiled slightly, running a hand over her head. "Dawn. Dawn, wake up honey. It's morning and we're going to be late if we don't get a move on."

The teenager let out a moan and shifted deeper into the blankets. "I'm up…" she mumbled. Jenny grinned.

"Liar. There are clothes in front of you." She darted into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, wincing as it scalded her tongue. "Hey Jen…" Dawn stumbled in, rubbing her eyes with one hand and reminding Jenny suddenly of a young child.

"Good morning." She said in an amused voice. "Not really a morning person, are you?"

Dawn simply groaned in response, drawing her hair back into a ponytail before twisting it into a bun. "I hate mornings."

"I'd noticed." Jenny placed a cup of orange juice in front of her. "We leave in five minutes."

Somehow, they managed to get out the door in ten despite a slight mishap with Jenny's makeup and Jenny drove as fast as she could to the ARC, rushing in seconds before Lester knocked on her office door. She and Dawn exchanged a glance as soon as he'd gone, and burst into giggles, falling about in laughter. "You two sound like a couple of cackling banshees." Cutter's amused voice sounded from the doorway. They both looked around, the laughter fading but the mirth dancing in their eyes.

"Thanks." Jenny said sarcastically, standing up straight from where she was leaning. "I'll leave you two alone."

She left, leaving Dawn and Cutter alone. "I'm sorry for running off like that." Dawn apologised softly. He waved a hand.

"Understandable."

There was an awkward silence.

"Dad, I think-"

"Dawn, I didn't-"

They both began at the same time. "You go." Cutter offered.

"No it's fine."

"No really, you go." he encouraged. Dawn hesitated.

"Ok… Um, I… we…" she struggled. He tilted his head gently.

"Dawn…"

She looked at him for a long moment, before he simply opened his arms and she flew into them, wrapping them around his neck tightly. He embraced her back, relief flowing through him as they both said everything without speaking.

Dawn raced down the corridors of the ARC, giggling uncontrollably as she flew past surprised technicians. "Can't catch me Connor!" she called behind her as she pushed herself faster. He beamed at her.

"Wanna bet?" he put on a burst of speed, easily weaving through a group of soldiers. One carefully timed jump over a cleaners' cart later and he was right on Dawn's tail. She glanced at him, raising an eyebrow as he whooped. They approached the operations centre and as luck would have it Sarah was just pushing her way towards them through the doors.

"Watch out!" they both shouted at the same time. Her eyes widened but she pressed herself against door, holding it open for them. Dawn cut in front of Connor and leapt to slam her hand on the desk of the ADD.

"I win!" she crowed, laughing breathlessly. He skidded to a halt inches from her.

"No fair!" he whined.

"CONNOR TEMPLE AND DAWN CUTTER!" Lester yelled. They both yelped, jumping violently as they spun around to face him. "This is a scientific facility! _Not_ a playground!"

"We weren't doing any harm!" Dawn protested, then squeaked when Connor elbowed her in the side.

"Won't happen again!" he called up to the other man. Lester frowned, glaring at them both before walking away. Connor picked up the two skateboards and stowed them safely under the ADD.

"To be continued." He muttered to Dawn. She saluted him mockingly, looking over to the device on the table.

"What is this?" she questioned.

"An anomaly locking device!" he answered excitedly. "It'll lock the anomalies until they close so creatures can't come through and nobody can go in."

"And it actually works?" Dawn raised her eyebrows at him.

"It's not actually finished yet, but it should!" he grabbed various wires and began looping them over and hooking them in, when Lester, Cutter and Jenny walked in, the former asking the same question. Connor stumbled over his answer in the face of the three of them. Dawn frowned.

"It's going to work Connor." She assured him. Her father quickly backed her up until Lester had been called away by Jenny, at which point he stepped forward.

"You're sure about this?" he asked lowly, placing his hand on Connors shoulder.

"Dad!" Dawn scolded. Connor waved her off.

"Pretty sure." He smiled. Cutter grinned at him, beginning to move away when the anomaly alert sounded. Dawn watched as Connor announced it was in a hospital and they all bolted out, bar Jenny and Sarah.

"First a reporter and now a hospital." The former sighed. "Why do I get the feeling today is not going to be a good day?"

Dawn and Sarah giggled as she shot them a long suffering look and walked off. Lester shot them a disapproving look. "Don't you have work to do?" he asked pointedly.

"Nope." Dawn answered cheerfully. He glared at her.

"Then could you please stop distracting the people who do?"

She grinned at him. "You're in a bad mood James. Get out the wrong side of bed?"

"May I remind you Miss Cutter that you can be barred from this facility?" he entwined his fingers behind his back.

"You'd miss me too much!" she smirked, kissing his cheek and dragging Sarah out.

"You are terrible!" Sarah told her. Dawn waggled her eyebrows.

"I know!"

Sarah shook her head in amusement. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yep?"

"Why do you call Lester, James? Only Jenny does- none of the main team." She asked curiously. Dawn beamed, mischief dancing in her eyes and leant forward towards her.

"Honestly… Because it annoys the hell out of him."

Sarah let out an amused laugh, shaking her head. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Dawn nodded with a grin, and then amended herself. "At least at first. It just sort of stuck though and I don't even think about it now- it's just a habit."

"Sarah? Do you know how to get a computer unfrozen?" Jenny suddenly poked her head in. Sarah paused, looking at Dawn who told her to go with a grin. She hopped up and followed Jenny out, waving goodbye to Dawn. And then Jenny reappeared in the doorway. "Do your homework!" she ordered sternly before vanishing again. Dawn pouted unhappily, but obediently got her books out from her bag, shoving her earphones in until gunshots suddenly echoed throughout the ARC. She ripped the headphones out, shooting to her feet in alarm but before she could move there were suddenly two identical men standing in the doorway. She gaped at them.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed, backing away as they advanced towards her. She yelped as they grabbed her roughly, dragging her down the corridor. She stopped, however, when she saw her father in front of her, holding a gun to Lester's head. "Dad!"

"Oh good, the whole family's here." Dawn's eyes widened when she spotted her mother standing beside Lester. "Don't kill him yet." She ordered Cutter before moving past him, who lowered the gun. She drew level with Dawn, reaching out to brush her hair from her face. "You have your father's eyes." She mused unemotionally. Dawn didn't answer, frozen as her mother touched her for the first time in over nine years.

"Leave her alone Helen!" Jenny protested, stepping forward. Helen smirked.

"Protective aren't we?" she glanced over to the soldiers. "Bring them."

Dawn stumbled as one of the clones shoved her forward, only just catching herself on the wall before Jenny took her hand. "C'mon." she murmured, guiding the girl in front of her and away from the soldiers. Helen led them to a storage room, and waited patiently for them to enter until she grabbed Dawn to one side before she could, allowing the soldier behind to shove Jenny in as well.

"Dawn!" She cried in alarm, attempting to reach for her. Helen's smirk grew.

"Oh don't worry. I won't hurt her." She told her sweetly, ordering the clones to guard the door before pushing Dawn in front of her as she strode off.

"So Cutter's finally gone native." Lester pronounced, withdrawing his phone. Jenny spun.

"He would never betray us! Or Dawn!" she protested.

"Unless I'm very much mistaken, he just did." Lester told her, irritation only just held at bay.

"I know him! And I know he wouldn't do this off his own free will! Helen almost got Dawn killed the last time she showed up, there is no way he would even consider siding with her!" Jenny objected resolutely, rolling her eyes when Lester ignored her comment.

Meanwhile, Helen had kept Dawn with her as she examined the matrix. "It's brilliant, Nick. Beautiful." She noted. Dawn watched her silently, eyes flicking from her father and back to her in time to see her expression darken slightly. "We should have worked on it together."

Then she seemed to come back to her senses. "What am I talking to you for?" she ran her hands thoughtfully over the object she was holding. Dawn glanced at her father while she was distracted.

"Dad?" she whispered. "What's going on?"

He simply stared at her, before turning back to study the matrix. Dawn's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh my god. That's not him!" she exclaimed. Helen glanced at her.

"Oh, well done." She said dryly. "You worked it out."

Dawn ignored her, circling the man at a safe distance. "But he's identical." She murmured thoughtfully. Then paused. "You cloned him as well?!" she spun around to face her mother, who sighed.

"What do you want, an applause?" she asked sarcastically. "It wasn't that hard to work out."

"Ma'am?" one of the soldiers appeared. "Several cars have entered the premises."

Helen smiled coldly. "At last. My husband's home from work."

Dawn waited beside Helen for her father to appear, one of the clones pressing his gun into her neck. She prayed silently that it wouldn't be her father and Connor and Abby that walked through the doors- a prayer that wasn't answered. Helen stepped forward and Dawn was forced to follow obediently, staring down at the three below. She could pinpoint the exact moment his clone walked in by the change on Abby and Connor's faces.

"Put Connor and Abby with the others." Helen ordered quietly, enjoying Nick's obvious shock. They followed reluctantly while Helen motioned for Dawn to follow her down the sloping walkway. She did so, smiling reassuringly albeit somewhat weakly at her father when he glanced concernedly at her. The clone moved to join them as they paused and her father circled it, studying it much the same way it had studied the matrix earlier.

"So you created this?" Cutter asked Helen, sliding his hand around Dawn's comfortingly.

"I ah… borrowed the technology from the future. It's made from your DNA." She told him, like he was supposed to be impressed. "Perfect in every physical detail."

"Physical?"

"Hm. It has… limited intelligence. Enough to follow basic instructions." She explained.

"It's still a human being though, right?"

Helen shrugged. "Free will is what makes us human. This… ah… _creature_ has none. It's nothing more than a living photocopy."

He considered the clone for another moment, before he faced her fully as another thought hit him. "Please tell me you didn't do this to Stephen!"

Dawn felt sick, that possibility having not crossed her mind before. Helen looked at him. "No matter what they look like they can never_be_ the original." she answered sharply, quickly turning away.

"She didn't say no…" Dawn whispered, dread curling in her stomach. Cutter met her eyes, the same emotions reflected in each. Her father followed Helen across the room while Dawn stayed where she was, looking at the clone. "What's your name?" she asked on a whim. He glanced at her.

"My… my name?" he questioned, astonished. She nodded.

"Yes. Do you have one?"

He slowly shook his head. "Why would I?"

She tilted her head. "Most people do." She explained. "May I give you one?"

He stared at her. "You.. want to… name me?"

"I keep calling you 'the clone' in my head. It isn't very polite." She shrugged. He paused.

"I… I suppose…" he agreed hesitantly. She bit her lip, considering.

"What about Nathan? No, too similar to Nicolas." She reflected. "Alexander?"

The clone considered. "Alexander…" he tested. A smile grew across his face. "I like that."

Dawn grinned at him but then heard her parents' voices raise and she looked over in concern. Her mother eventually withdrew the object she'd been holding earlier, questioning him if he knew what it is. He smirked at her.

"Of course I do." He answered. Dawn raised her eyebrows- she'd spent the majority of her teenage years listening to her father sound his ideas aloud and knew as much about the anomalies as he did. And she had no idea what it was.

"Tell me." her mother demanded.

"No." he answered calmly. Dawn looked at him in surprise. "You can go to hell."

Dawn let out a laugh, attracting a glare from her mother before she turned back to her father. "Give him ten seconds… and then shoot her."

Dawn's eyes widened in alarm. The clone advanced on her, holding a gun to her head. "Don't…" she whispered. He began to count.

"Don't do it!" her father tried.

"You can't appeal to his finer feelings Nick, he doesn't have any." Helen smirked. Dawn swallowed.

"I don't believe that." She said over the count down. Helen ignored her.

"Tell me what this is."

"You don't have to do what she says, you know…" Cutter told him.

"Alexander." Dawn whispered. He hesitated, stumbling over the next number. Helen frowned.

"You have a choice." Cutter tried to convince him. Helen watched in surprise as the gun dipped lower.

"There's no such thing as having no choice." Dawn said softly. "Even if you haven't learnt how to make them yet. All you have to do it put the gun down, don't listen to her."

A beat passed, then two. "Alexander…? You can choose to be free from her." her father added, shooting her an impressed look.

"That's enough." Helen cut in. "Listen to-"

"_Stop. Do nothing. Obey my voice._"

Dawn laughed as the voice came through the sound system, exchanging looks of relief with her father. "No, stop, that's not me!" Helen cried desperately. _"__Stop. Do nothing. Obey my voice."_

She continued to shout but the clones had become motionless, frozen as the overriding command controlled them "It's over Helen!"

Her eyes were wild as she turned back to Cutter's clone. "Listen to my voice. Complete your mission." She ordered forcefully. He turned, crossing to a case on the table. Dawn watched as her father raced over, trying to persuade his clone to act differently.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked Helen sadly. "You never used to be like this."

Helen looked at her, a little perturbed at the girls' knowing gaze. "How would you know?" she demanded, looking at the two identical men. "Don't listen to him! Follow your instructions!"

Cutter gritted his teeth in frustration. "You'll die if you do this Alexander!" Dawn rushed over to his side, placing her hand on his arm.

"I don't know what death is." he said blankly.

"Trust us, life is better!" Cutter told him.

"Don't listen to him!" Helen screamed as she began to run. Dawn bit her lip.

"No, listen to me!" she agreed. "She may have made you- she made me too! To be human is to make mistakes, that's what humanity is all about! It's what it's always been about! To live and to learn and then to do it all again the next day! And right now, she's making a mistake. Helping people is better than hurting them and that's what the ARC does! It helps people!"

"It's a research centre." Alexander pointed out.

"Yes." She granted. "But what do you think the purpose of that research is?"

Alexander stood motionless, considering. "I… I…" he stumbled. Dawn grasped his hand.

"Please, listen to me. I don't think you're as stupid as she thinks you are- you've just never been taught how to think for yourself. Let us help you, let us teach you. There is more to living than following her orders. Trust me."

"She… made you too?" Alexander said slowly. Dawn nodded.

"_Yes._ And look at me- disobeying orders and everything." She smiled. "You can too… just disarm the bomb."

There was a long pause before, slowly, inch by inch he placed the remote down and flicked something that caused the beeping to stop. Dawn laughed in relief, throwing her arms around him. Tentatively, he hugged her back, a smile growing over his own face.

"NO!" Helen's outrage came from the doorway and Dawn didn't even have time to look up before she was thrown to the ground, her back hitting a desk with a body heavy on top of her as a shot resounded through the room. "Alexander?" she whispered. But his eyes were glazed, his body limp and crushing on top of hers.

"Helen no!" she heard her father shout and then there was another huge bang before an even louder explosion. Dawn shrieked, fierce heat washing over her and she hid her face. Where was her father? Or her mother?

She choked, coughing on the thick smoke and wiggled from underneath the heavy body that lay covering her. "Thank you." She whispered sadly, gently placing her hand on his shoulder before she stood and picked her way through the debris, avoiding the flames wherever she could and realising that her left leg actually hurt quite a lot. "Dad!?" she called out, staggering through the ARC in search of him. He'd been in the room with her, where was he? And why was the room spinning?

"Dawn!" Connor and Becker were suddenly in front of her, holding her steady.

"Are you ok?" Connor demanded. She nodded, brushing her hair from her eyes.

"I… yes, I''m fine. I don't where dad is though!" she told them. A cough from another room caught their attention and Connor rushed forward, quickly reappearing with her father in tow. They ran out, Cutter quickly finding his footing. Abby crossed straight to Connor while Dawn was staring at the building, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Where's Helen?" Cutter asked, not seeing her amongst the people. Jenny spun to look at him disbelievingly.

"She must still be inside." Connor answered. Cutter hesitated for a second before grabbing a torch off of a nearby soldier.

"Nick!" Jenny caught hold of his arm. "She wouldn't lift a finger to save you!"

"Yeah I know." He said ruefully. "But she's the mother of my child."

"Don't go. This is a mistake."

"It really is, and that's coming from me." Dawn agreed imploringly. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, glancing over at the rest of the team.

"I'll be fine." He assured them, bolting into the building. Dawn cried out, stepping after him but Jenny grabbed her, holding her tightly.

"He'll be fine. He's too damn stubborn not to be." She told the girl. Dawn bit her lip, rocking on her heels slightly as she waited for signs of movement.

Minutes passed.

Jenny had drifted off to talk with Lester while Abby and Connor stood close together, worry etched on their faces. Dawn scanned the people- there was no one near her. So she took off running, racing through the burning ARC to search desperately for her parents while ignoring the cries of the rest of the team behind her. "Dad?" she called frantically, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she coughed through the smoke. She could hear voices but the roar of the flames was disorientating her, so she simply stumbled blindly in the direction she thought they were in. And froze in horror as she saw the scene in front of her. "MUM!"

Her scream rose above the noise and Helen spun, astonishment written on her face. "Dawn get out of here!" Nick roared, fear running through him at the sight of his daughter in the disintegrating building. She shook her head, her eyes not moving from her mother.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled at her. "He's your husband!"

But Helen simply stared at her. Dawn frowned, glancing behind her to check it really was her that her mother was staring at. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you called her mum." Cutter realised, edging closer warily. Dawn frowned.

"What?"

"Think about it Dawn." He told her, succeeding in sliding past them to put himself between the two of them. She did so, realisation crossing her face a split second before devastation did.

"No… not again!"

"I don't understand…" Helen glanced between them uncertainly.

"For an intelligent woman Helen, you really are stupid sometimes!" Nick bit out scornfully. She raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"I said you're stupid!" he snapped. Dawn watched with wide, frightened eyes. "Dawn isn't _my_ daughter- she's ours!"

Helen stared at him in shock. "What?"

"_Our_ daughter, Helen! _Our_ child!" he cried. She gaped at him.

"That's not possible…" she denied. He raised his eyebrows at her pointedly.

"Oh, c'mon Helen! Not even you are that short sighted!"

She stared at him, motionless. "The alternate timeline…" she murmured, stepping around him to face Dawn considerately. She swallowed, but didn't flinch. Helen shook her head slowly. "I don't…"she stuttered. Dawn stepped forward slowly, hands raised.

"I'll show you…?" she offered, darting under a fallen beam into the adjacent room to retrieve to her school bag, withdrawing her folder and flipping to the back as she returned to her parents, holding it open in front of them.

Cutter peered over it, not entirely sure what she was up to. The back inside cover was a photo montage- he spotted several of her with her friends, a few with her and members of the ARC. There was a couple with Stephen and one with the entire ARC team. The centre, most prominent picture however was an older one that Cutter recognised from Dawn's bedroom. He sat on a rock formation, beaming at the camera and squinting against the glaring sun while Helen and Dawn each sat on one of his legs, leaning back against him with their hands entwined as they laughed at the camera.

"Stephen took it a few months before you left. Said that even in the middle of a desert we should have something to commemorate my seventh birthday." Dawn explained as emotionlessly as she could. But Cutter heard the pain in the undertones, and suddenly realised just how much Dawn missed her mother. And then he felt fear snake down his spine, because if Helen discovered that he was sure she wouldn't hesitate to use it to her advantage.

Helen was staring at the picture in shock. "You're… my daughter?" she questioned unsteadily. Dawn nodded, realising that before three minutes ago she hasn't called her 'mum' to her face since she was seven. That would explain it, she thought bitterly.

"Well of course I am. I look just like you- I assumed you already knew that." She cast a meaningful glare at her father, who just shrugged slightly. A crash from somewhere in the building alerted them to the fact that they were minutes away from being trapped. Dawn looked at them both. "We need to go- now!"

Helen shook her head, stepping back from them. "No… this changes nothing!" she denied, raising the gun again to point it at Nick. Nick rolled his eyes.

"For the love of God…" he muttered while Dawn simply looked at her.

"For heavens sake!" she snapped. "Would you stop? Dad and I were almost killed by the creatures- there is no way in hell he would ever sanction their creation. You've got it wrong in some way, ok? Now can we go?"

Helen shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry…" she said, stepping backwards. Dawn watched in horror as her finger tensed and without thinking she threw herself at her father, knocking them both to the ground as the gunshot echoed around the corridor.

Her ears rang, but she managed to roll over and look up, only to find her mother had vanished. "Dad…?" she questioned, her voice sounding strangely far away. His eyes were closed.

"Dad!" she scrambled upright, kneeling beside him and searching for an injury. It was only when a spark a little down the corridor ignited another fire that she spotted the blood soaking through it, just below his right shoulder. She pressed her hands to the wound.

"Dad! Daddy, wake up!" she pleaded, pressing harder. He groaned, eyes flickering open.

"Dawn…" he breathed. She smiled weakly at him, tears tracking down her cheeks.

"Hey. Stay awake, ok?" she bit her lip, glancing behind her and hoping somebody would appear. He coughed slightly.

"Get out of here. I'll be alright." He urged. She shook her head.

"Not happening." She told him firmly, not releasing the pressure as she struggled to shrug out of her jacket, pushing that against his chest as hard as she could. He cried out in pain. "I'm sorry! I have to…"

She let out a sob. He raised a hand, ghosting it over one of hers. "Dawn, please go." he murmured, his eyes beginning to close.

"NO! Dad please! You have to stay awake, ok? For me, please." She begged him desperately. "Please, I need you! I know I don't mean as much to you but I can't do this without you!" He forced his eyes open, focusing on her with some difficulty. "Please. I love you, don't leave me! Stay awake… please…" Dawn choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

And then she heard it.

"Dawn?! Cutter! Hello?"

Dawn sobbed in relief. "Connor!" she screamed. "Connor! Here!"

"Dawn!?" his voice moved closer.

"Here! Help, please!" she called desperately. "Over here!"

She trembled as he appeared- _finally _- from the smoke, jogging over to them. "Oh god…" Connor whispered as he made sense of what he was seeing. He dropped to his knees beside Cutter, fingers scrabbling for a pulse. Dawn held her breath. "He's alive!"

He glanced to Dawn. "I'll take him. He'll be fine" he promised firmly, sliding his arms under the scientist and lifting him. Cutter grunted slightly at the movement. Dawn stayed where she was, unsure her legs would support her until Connor glanced back at her. "We have to go!" he told her. She stumbled along after him, holding onto the wall for support until they emerged into the sunlight, cries going up as people caught sight of Cutter in Connor's arms.

"I need a medic!" he roared, lowering him to the floor. Lester yelled for an ambulance as Dawn swayed, pale, eyes fixed on her father. Paramedics rushed over, shouting and bending over her motionless father and then Jenny was in front of her, asking her something but Dawn's head was buzzing and she couldn't quite work out what she'd said when she could only see her mouth moving. But then there was a warmth around her while Connor was climbing in the ambulance with her father and it was Jenny's arms enclosing her tightly, holding her upright and it was like a bubble had burst because Dawn could hear the shouts around her with the wail of the sirens and the comfort Jenny was whispering in her ear for only her to hear.

Dawn felt something wet on her face and raised a hand to touch her cheek, surprised to find that she was crying silently, her whole body trembling even as she nestled into Jenny, who for her part seemed content to simply hold the girl. In front of her, Abby and Sarah were standing close together with their hands interlinked with Becker's while Lester looked as stoic as ever, ordering people around. It was only when he turned that Dawn saw the strain on his face, worried lines making him seem a lot older than he was. "James…?" she called shakily, her voice nowhere near loud enough to rise above the din but somehow he heard her, stepping forwards to take her outstretched hand.

"Are you ok?" he asked gently. She nodded slowly, tightening her fingers around his as she shivered uncontrollably. She buried her face in Jenny's shoulder, not seeing the worried look that the woman exchanged with her boss as the sirens got further and further away.


	10. Chapter 10

"_I'm sorry Miss Cutter..._"

"_The bullet has nicked his artery…_"

"_There's nothing more we can do…_"

Dawn was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of her pen hitting the floor. She sighed, realising she'd drifted off into her mind once again and leaned over to pick it up, tuning in to the conversation she could hear from outside the room.

"I'm worried about her James." Jenny murmured, glancing over to the teenager. Lester sighed.

"What more can we do?" he pointed out. "Short of calling social services…"

"NO!" Jenny objected in a hiss. "I didn't mean that and you know it! I'm fine looking after her!"

"Then what?" he questioned.

"She won't leave the hospital, James, not even to see her friends. She barely speaks, just goes to school, comes straight here afterwards, goes home to sleep and then does it all again. She doesn't even go home if she can avoid it- It's not healthy!"

"We can't force her to leave, Jenny."

"I know that!" she said in exasperation. "I just think that-"

Dawn tuned them out at this point, frowning and shifting in her chair slightly as she watched her father. The machines beeped and clicked as they kept him alive, the only sound in the otherwise silent room. The ARC team took it in turns to sit with them- Jenny, Abby and Connor were there the most often but Sarah, Becker and Lester had made appearances too. Dawn had refused to leave, only moving from her spot to go home briefly when Lester had threatened to have the hospital ban her.

The bullet had nicked an artery, something the surgeons hadn't realised until after they'd removed it and returned him to the ward. Her father had been rushed into emergency surgery, where his heart had stopped beating for an entire two minutes. And now he lay comatose, kept breathing by machines. And there was nothing more the doctors could do for him.

"Please dad." Dawn whispered. "Wake up. Please."

She bent her head forward, closing her eyes and only looked up when Jenny entered, a weary smile on her face. "Visiting times are over." she told Dawn gently. "Let's go."

Dawn nodded, obediently following her out without a word. She felt bad, knowing she was worrying everyone but she couldn't quite find it in her to say to someone who could respond. Even the teachers had given up asking her questions now, quickly realising that punishments they dished out were useless. She went straight to her room and changed from her uniform, sliding beneath the covers of her bed and curling up, feigning sleep when she heard the door creak open as Jenny came to check on her before she retreated to the spare room to sleep.

She was awake before the older woman the next morning, ready and out the door before she was even up. She decided to get off the bus early, choosing to walk the last mile in an effort to clear her head. "Excuse me!"

She turned, raising her eyebrows at the man jogging to catch her up. "Could I ask you a few questions?" he asked her. She tilted her head suspiciously. "Your father is Professor Nick Cutter, yes? The palaeontologist?" Dawn studied him for a long moment, before deigning to give a quick nod. He smiled. "Then, Miss Cutter, could you tell me why he's working for the government?"

Dawn scoffed, shaking her head and beginning to walk away but she was stopped by a hand on her arm. "Wait, please. I'm just trying to uncover the truth. Don't you think the public deserves to know what's going on? That they could be in danger?"

Dawn stared at him. "The truth about what, exactly?" she asked quietly.

"Let's not play dumb, Miss Cutter. I know about the dinosaurs and I know you do too." He said confidently.

"Well I would hope so, otherwise my primary teacher would have some serious explaining to do. It's a fairly well known topic after all." Dawn mocked, pulling her arm away from him. He frowned.

"Miss Cutter. The ARC is a government facility that hides the fact that these… creatures… exist in the modern world. We both know it." He said. "All I'm asking is that you confirm it."

"Confirm what, exactly? You're clearly delusional." Dawn ridiculed, her heart thumping in her chest. Who was this guy?

"My boss doesn't think so." He told her smugly. She raised an eyebrow.

"Your boss?"

"The editor of Evening News." He smirked. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"You're a reporter? Wonderful." She began to walk away again. He grabbed her arm roughly and she narrowed her eyes at him. He loosened his grip a little.

"Miss Cutter, all I'm asking is for you to give me what I need to protect the public. They have a right to know." He said persuasively. She looked at him.

"The last time I heard someone say that a very good man ended up dead." She said in a low tone. "Dinosaurs died several million years ago- everyone knows that. Now if you come near me again I'll have you arrested for the assault of a minor."

She wrenched her arm free and veered away from him, heart beating in her throat. She skipped school, instead rushing straight to the ARC and searched through until she heard Jenny's voice. "Any chance of putting this back together?"

I wouldn't know where to start." That was Sarah. "Give me a few years, I might be able to work some of it out. Cutter keeps a lot of things to himself. But Dawn might know- I swear that girl understands things more than I do sometimes, and I'm the one with a degree"

"That's because I do." Dawn piped up quietly from behind them, a small smile on her face. Jenny frowned.

"Why aren't you at school?" she asked.

"Because this reporter guy stopped me before I could get there, asking questions about the ARC. Jenny, he knew _everything_." Dawn explained quickly.

"Not again!" Jenny groaned. Dawn frowned.

"What?"

"If it's the same guy, he's been sniffing around since the mammoth. He knows far too much and is intent on getting the proof." Jenny rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Wait wait wait!" Sarah interrupted. "Mammoth?"

"On the M25." Dawn grinned. Sarah gaped.

"How the hell did you keep that quiet?" she exclaimed.

"With great difficulty." Jenny grimaced. "Dawn, do you think that guy is going to bother you again?"

She shook her head. "I threatened to have him arrested if he came near me." she smiled grimly. Jenny grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Good girl." She kissed her forehead. " Now I need a favour. I need you not to go anywhere outside the ARC alone."

"Jenny!" Dawn protested unhappily.

"I know I know. It's just until we figure out a way to deal with this guy. Please, for me?" Jenny asked. Dawn sighed, nodding her agreement. "Thank you. Now I'll tell your school you're not going in today if you _promise_ to do your work here."

Dawn nodded with a smile. Just then the anomaly alert sounded, blaring through the ARC. "I guess Connor got it working." Jenny grinned, hurrying to join the others at the ADD. Sarah glanced at Dawn.

"Fancy lending a hand? I won't tell her if you don't." she offered. Dawn grinned, nodding and settled down to work beside her.

A few days later and Dawn was back at her father's bedside, trying to concentrate on her homework when a groan rose from beside her. "Dad?" she dropped her notebook and moved closer, laying her hand gently over his. His eyes flickered. She grinned happily. "Dad!"

He moaned, his free hand coming up to touch the tube going into his throat. Dawn leant over and pressed the call nurse button, batting his hand away. "Don't touch. You're in hospital- can't ever do things the easy way can you?" she whispered, smiling. The nurse entered and shoed her from the room, leaving Dawn to withdraw her phone and round up the team. They were all out but promised to head back as soon as they'd dealt with the latest anomaly.

Dawn re-entered her father's room, smiling warmly at him. "Hey." He croaked.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a velociraptor." He answered dryly. She grinned.

"Understandable."

"The nurse said you've been here everyday." He said quietly. She shrugged. "Thank you." He told her sincerely. She smiled. "What happened to Helen?" he questioned suddenly. She shrugged.

"Gone by the time anyone thought to look for her. With any luck it'll be permanent." She scowled. He smiled faintly.

"She's your mother." He said gently. Dawn shook her head.

"No she's not. My mother was kind. She would take me to dance class and teach me about dinosaurs and comfort me when I needed it. That woman… she's not her. She's sick and she needs help."

Cutter nodded his agreement, not missing the pained look in Dawn's eyes.

Another week passed, by which time Cutter was up and out of bed, wandering down the corridors at all hours and annoying the nurses. His time in a coma had meant his wound was almost healed, the puckered pink skin a strange, unwelcome reminder of his insane wife. Speaking of which…

"You are completely insane." Jenny said, staring at him. He shrugged.

"Quite possibly." He agreed.

"Cutter… you almost died. Now you want to go and risk that again?" Abby questioned. He sighed.

"Helen thinks I'm dead- it's by far better to keep it that way. I need to stop her before she does any more damage and the best way to do that is by following her!"

"Through the anomalies?!" exclaimed Connor. "It's a suicide mission!"

"Helen's done it for nine years and she's fine."

"She shot you, created a clone army and got Stephen killed." Lester pointed out flatly. Cutter groaned.

"Look, I don't need you to agree with me. I've already made my decision. I'm going. _Alone._" He said firmly. Jenny ran a hand through her hair.

"And Dawn? What do you think about this?" she asked. He grimaced at that while the teenager glared.

"Why would my opinion matter? I'm just a teenager." She snapped, pushing off of the table she was sitting on and walking out. Cutter winced.

"She's…ah, of a similar opinion to you." He explained delicately. They all raised an eyebrow at him. Jenny sighed.

"I'll go." she followed the teenager out, eventually finding her perched on the roof. "Hey honey." Dawn smiled tightly at her before going back to stare across the city, arms wrapped around herself. "Are you ok?"

Dawn shrugged. "Not really."

"Dawn…" Jenny began, but trailed off. There was nothing she could really say.

"It's Ok, Jenny." Dawn said quietly. "He's an idiot and right now he's a short sighted, impetuous, egotistical one."

"Don't hold back." Jenny quipped. Dawn smiled slightly, turning her head towards her.

"He's also my father and as mad as I am at him… if anyone could do this and come back it'll be him." She acknowledged. Jenny wrapped an arm around her, resting her cheek on her head and pretending not to notice when her shoulders shook slightly.

A few days later and an alert meant Cutter had his chance. He poked his head through the anomaly and finding that it led to a relatively harmless era, he said his goodbyes. Sarah hugged him quickly, smiling at him. "See you soon professor."

"I hope so."

Becker shook his hand. "Do me a favour- look after them for me?" Cutter asked him. He nodded.

"Always." He promised, stepping back to Abby could fling her arms around his neck.

"Be careful, yeah?" she told him anxiously. He nodded at her, squeezing her hand before turning to Connor and pulling him into a hug.

"It's all up to you now. The artefact… it's important. I don't know why, but it is. It's up to you to find out why now." He told the younger man. Connor nodded seriously.

"I won't let you down professor." He vowed.

"Do make an effort to return, won't you?" Lester drawled. "I'd hate to have to catch up a new scientist if you didn't."

Cutter smirked. "I'll miss you too."

Jenny had her arms crossed, watching him. "You're really doing this?"

He nodded. "I have to." He said softly. Jenny nodded, glancing down briefly. "Thank you, for agreeing to look after Dawn."

"It's not exactly a burden." Jenny smiled humourlessly. "Just… come back, okay? For her, if nothing else. Losing you… it would destroy her."

"Just her?" Cutter tested. Jenny's gaze snapped to meet his.

"Let's not, Nick." She said. They stared at each other for a long moment, before Cutter nodded.

"Okay." He stepped forward, hands resting on her elbows as he pressed his lips to her forehead. Her eyes closed momentarily before they opened to meet his blue ones. "Goodbye, Jenny Lewis."

"Goodbye Nick." She whispered. She stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself as she watched him step to Dawn, embracing her tightly.

"I will be back for you." He assured her. She smiled sadly.

"That's exactly what mum said." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Bye dad."

"Dawn?" he caught her wrist gently, cupping her face. "You were wrong before."

"About what?" she frowned.

"You mean just as much to me as I do to you." He said softly. She stared at him, and he smiled, kissing her temple. "And I love you too."

He stepped back, retreating to the anomaly and glancing back at them just once. Jenny had stepped forward to wrap her arms around Dawn while Abby stood in Connor's, Sarah's hand linked with hers and Beckers' and Lester standing between the two tiny groups, all of them watching him. He gave them a final nod and smile.

And stepped through.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hi everyone! Thank you for the alerts- please tell me what you think of this one? X**_

It was a few weeks later that Dawn was sat with Jenny in her office (a regular occurrence now the anomaly her father had stepped through had closed) when an alarm started blaring, causing the older woman to frown. "That's not an anomaly alert, is it?" Dawn noted. Jenny shook her head, standing abruptly and rushing out, spotting Becker with two soldiers advancing down the corridor. "Talk to me?" she fell into step behind him, Dawn to her right and Connor to her left.

"We have an intruder in sector 7. No identification as yet." He told her.

"Is it small and ugly in a kind of cute way?" Connor asked. Dawn shot him a questioning look. He shrugged sheepishly. "Just a guess."

They approached the door, when Jenny paused. "Helen…?" Connor met her gaze with wide eyes. "Prepare to shoot on sight." She ordered, drawing Dawn behind her slightly.

Becker kicked the door open to reveal Danny Quinn. "Woah woah woah!" he held his hands up.

"I don't believe it!" Jenny groaned.

"You've really got to do something about your security." He grinned. Dawn snickered while Jenny huffed.

"He has a point." The teenager smirked. Jenny swatted her gently over the back of the head.

"Bring him. Lester will want to see him."

"Ooh, who's Lester?" Danny questioned cheerfully. Dawn giggled.

"Connor, put her somewhere so she can do her schoolwork." Jenny ordered, causing Dawn to groan. "Oh… and about that ugly, cute creature?"

Connor froze. "I ah…"

"Deal with it Connor. Now." She instructed wearily.

Dawn swung on her chair, smirking as Connor raced around the ARC searching for Sid. Becker deposited Danny in a chair not far from her. "You don't need to look so pleased you know. You're hardly the first person to break in here." She called over to him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Then you _definitely_ need better security." He said. She smiled.

"Point taken." She hopped up, waggling her fingers at him as she went to find Jenny. "I like him." She announced, bouncing into her office. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"You would."

A tech knocked on her door, handing Dawn the box of her father's things and Dawn looked at Jenny helplessly. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked, putting it on the table.

"What is it all?" Jenny questioned, picking up the paper on top. Dawn shrugged, looking at it.

"I don't know. Work, personal stuff. He didn't exactly keep it separate." She fiddled with a molecule representation, glancing up when she heard Jenny inhale sharply. "Jen?"

She was staring at half a picture, not even noticing when Sarah came in. "When was that taken?" Sarah asked. Jenny swallowed.

"It wasn't." she said quietly, her voice strained. "That's not me. It's Claudia Brown."

"What?" Dawn looked at it in surprise.

"Why did he still have this?" Sarah asked. Jenny put her head in her hands.

"Because he loved her." Dawn answered automatically. She noticed the other two staring at her questioningly. "Ah… when he talks about her, he gets this look in his face. It's the same look he used to get when he talked about my mum." She explained.

"Oh my God." Jenny whispered. "I used to be somebody else."

"Jenny?" Becker interrupted them suddenly. Dawn frowned in concern as Jenny rushed out to the anomaly alert, refusing Sarah's offer of help and bit her lip.

"I shouldn't have told her that." Dawn worried. Sarah gripped her hand.

"I don't think it made much difference." She comforted.

"Sarah? Keep Danny busy would you? Stop him getting in too much trouble." Becker poked his head around the door. Sarah nodded.

"C'mon- I know you've finished your schoolwork so you can come help me instead." She ushered Dawn out, casting a final look towards the photo lying on the desk before steering her towards the room with the artefact and going to fetch Danny.

"Just stick it there." She indicated a spot on the floor and crossed to the seat, perching on it.

"What is it?" Danny asked, peering closer at the artefact.

"We don't know yet." Sarah bent her head and began to work, leaving Danny to turn his attention to Dawn.

"So why's there a schoolgirl wandering around a government facility?" he questioned.

"Why's there a former policeman wandering around one?" she countered, amused at his prying. Sarah shushed them.

"Trying to concentrate here."

Dawn and Danny both made a face at her, but fell silent until Danny spotted Christine Johnson's wandering man. "If I was still a copper I'd say that bloke's was acting suspiciously." Danny mused. Sarah hummed in reply, while Dawn skipped over to look for herself. Danny glanced at her, then did a double take. "Where are your shoes?"

"Why does everyone always ask that?" Dawn rolled her eyes, watching them man with a tilted head. Danny tapped her hand, gesturing with his head. Dawn grinned and nodded and the pair stepped after him.

"Where are you going?" Sarah enquired sharply.

"He's with me Sarah, what's the worse that can happen?" Dawn beamed, winking and dragged Danny out with her, bouncing through the corridors in pursuit of the man. Danny reached out and caught hold of her ponytail.

"Woah there. Let's not let him see us, hm?" He pushed her behind him as they entered the lab, immediately spotting the man lying on the floor. Danny hurried over, turning him but recoiled at the sight of his face. Dawn shrieked slightly, jerking back.

"Out!" Danny shoved her towards the door, slamming his hand on the alarm on the way out. Connor sprinted over.

"What happened?" he queried frantically. Danny quickly explained and Connor pulled on a biohazard suit without hesitation. Dawn nibbled her lip, bouncing up and down on her toes in worry.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked, her head ringing at the alarm. Before he could answer, Lester walked up, his gaze silently warning them not to mess up.

"Everything under control?" he checked, Christine and the captain close behind him.

"Everything is fine." Connor told him. "He's helping me."

"Right." Lester said unhappily. The two walked around to the door, leaving the group to drift closer to the window. Dawn stood from her seat, intending to do the same but Lester turned and motioned for her to sit down again, glaring at her when she opened her mouth to protest. She scowled but did as he ordered, folding her arms crossly. She waited in silence until Christine had left, looking balefully at Lester when he finally waved her over. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I'd like to keep you out of Christine Johnson's way as much as possible."

Dawn still didn't look happy but conceded to wandering over to sit with Sarah while she worked as Danny and Connor remained in the room. Sarah tried to keep her occupied the best she could until Dawn screamed, shooting to her feet. Sarah followed her gaze, her eyes widening as she spotted what had provoked her. She surged to her feet and bolted over to the window, slamming her hands on it, calling out to them desperately. "CONNOR! DANNY!"

Dawn raced beside her, shouting at them as well but they simply looked bemused, unable make out what they were saying until Sarah hit the intercom. "Turn around!" she said frantically. They did so, visibly stiffening. Dawn clenched her fingers around the ledge as Sarah darted around the corner to open to door for them.

"JAMES!" She screeched towards Lester's office, the panic in her voice causing him to come rushing out. He stared in shock at the scene as he joined them.

"What the…?" The creature smashed against the glass. "What is it?"

Nobody answered him.

"Well this could be tricky to explain to the next of kin." Lester said. "Good news- he's not technically dead. Bad news- he's turned into a mushroom."

He got several looks at that. "James!" Dawn scolded.

"What are we going to do with it?" he asked. Connor quickly explained about the saline solution, prompting Sarah to think of heat.

"Bake the hell out of it." Connor agreed gleefully. Dawn watched anxiously as they raised the temperature higher and higher, until the thing began to bulge.

"What…?" she began, then yelped as the creature exploded with a bang, sending them all ducking. She grinned. "Awesome."

"Look at those plants. Abby's gonna kill me." Dawn heard Connor groan. She giggled, skipping over.

"Yep." She and Sarah agreed simultaneously. And then Sid popped up. Dawn struggled to hold back her laughs as Connor struggled to get the tiny dinosaur, until the fungus began to spread again.

"Connor!" she called desperately. Sarah gripped her hand, dialling Jenny.

"Go get Lester." She told her. Dawn ran upstairs, not bothering to knock.

"James! You need to come!" she stated urgently, dashing back out of the room before he could question her. They arrived downstairs just in time to hear Connor tell Sarah to freeze it. Dawn watched tearfully as Connor struggled more and more with the temperature, arms wrapped around herself. "If his core body temperature drops to twenty one degrees, he'll die." She said randomly. Lester glanced at her.

"That's not going to happen." He wrapped an arm around her, watching tensely as Connor slid down the wall and didn't reappear.

"Connor…?" whispered Dawn.

"Come on Connor, give us a sign." Sarah murmured. A collective sigh of relief went up when a trembling thumb appeared. Lester began to order people around and Connor was bought out of the room, Dawn collapsing to her knees beside him while Lester called Jenny.

"They're bringing the other one here." He explained. Dawn raised her eyebrows.

"Since when do you have the facilities for that?"

"We don't." he told her grimly. She paused.

"Ah."

Danny drove hastily through the streets of London, wondering what Jenny had meant by 'not in her case'. There was another question on his mind as well though. "Why is Dawn allowed in the ARC? She's just a teenager."

Jenny smiled. "A unique one. Her father was the lead scientist, one of the first to discover the anomalies. Dawn was there when he did."

"I get that, but why is she allowed to roam the ARC? Doesn't somebody complain?" he questioned incredulously as he stuck his foot down.

"Have you met Dawn? Properly I mean?"

"Well yeah."

"And how do you feel about her?" Jenny asked in amusement.

"I… she seems like a good kid. Head screwed on straight, nice. Why?"

"You like her, right? There's something about her that makes you want to protect her, makes her seems just a little vulnerable even though she's done absolutely nothing to make you feel that." Jenny listed. He glanced sideways at her.

"How'd you know that?"

"Because it's how everyone feels." Jenny explained, humour running through her tone. "Dawn… there's just something about her. Everyone loves her, and to be honest I've only ever seen her speak badly to two people. One was a murderer and the other was her psychopathic mother."

"Just like that? Everyone loves her?" Danny asked sceptically.

"Yep. Pretty much. Turn left here- we're almost there." Jenny pointed out, laying the conversation to rest.

Much to her disgruntlement, Lester ensured that Dawn was evacuated with the rest of the staff, leaving her pacing unhappily outside waiting for news. "Something's wrong…" she mumbled impatiently. Finally, when over twenty minutes had passed Lester appeared, signalling to the staff to give them the all clear. She bounded over to him with a smile.

"So the creatures gone, yeah? Everyone's ok?" she asked brightly. He hesitated.

"Dawn…" he began. Her face dropped. "There was… an accident. She's fine, but a little shaken up."

"Who?" Dawn demanded. "Who's fine?"

He sighed, realising that platitudes weren't going to work. "Jenny." He answered. Dawn's eyes widened in fear and she spun on her heel, bolting through the building until she found the brunette.

"Jen!" she looked up just in time to catch the teenager who launched herself into her arms, hugging her back gladly. "What happened?!"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Jenny smiled weakly, smoothing back a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail.

"James didn't make it sound like nothing." Dawn said pointedly. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Damned man." She muttered. "Dawn… we need to talk."

The teenager drew back slightly. "Nothing good ever comes from those words." She stated suspiciously.

Jenny patted the table next to her, waiting until Dawn had hopped up before she started speaking. "I… I literally died today. My heart stopped." She started softly, hurrying on before Dawn could freak out. "And… it's made me think. This place… it is amazing. The work, the creatures, the anomalies and the people… especially the people. But I need to figure some things out and I can't do that here."

"I don't understand." Dawn frowned.

"Honey… I handed in my resignation to James earlier. I'm leaving the ARC." Jenny said gently.

"What?! You can't!" Dawn cried, pushing herself off the table to her feet. Jenny reached for her, catching her hands in her own.

"Dawn, listen to me. I am _not_ leaving you, do you understand? I'm not leaving _you_." She said earnestly but Dawn pulled away.

"Aren't you?" she spat.

"No!" Jenny shook her head frantically, moving to stand in front of her. "I know you always believed your father about the timelines but I didn't! I thought he was just deluded and over stressed. But… now Claudia Brown is real! I was somebody else and I need to get my head around that, and around your father being gone."

"You mean forget." Dawn said flatly. "And forgetting dad means forgetting me."

"No Dawn." Jenny denied, shaking her head fiercely. "I might be leaving the ARC but that doesn't mean I'm leaving you!" she repeated.

"Yes it does!" Dawn yelled. "How could you, I thought you were on our side! But you're on your own side completely, aren't you, just like my mum!"

"This isn't about sides Dawn! And I am nothing like her!" protested Jenny.

"You're running away just she did!" Dawn screamed. There was a long silence as they stared at each other, breathing heavier than normal. "You're just like her." Dawn repeated brokenly. "Only you have enough guilt in you to force you to say goodbye. Well, lucky for you I've gotten pretty good at those."

"Dawn…" Jenny began to plead but the teenager just looked at her coldly.

"Goodbye, Miss Lewis."

Jenny flinched as she turned on her heel and walked out, before she sagged against the table and hung her head. "She's just upset." A quiet voice said from the doorway. "She'll come around."

"She has _never_ called me Miss Lewis, Sarah. Not even when we first met." Jenny told her sorrowfully. "I don't think she's going to forgive me this."

Sarah came into the room. "She's a hormonal teenager whose life is being uprooted for about the fifth time in a year. She just needs time, Jenny."

"I hope so." Jenny sighed. "Just… look after her for me? She's not going to allow me to and despite her protests she does need somebody."

Sarah smiled slightly. "I'm beginning to see that. I'll look after her."

It was only once Jenny had gone, her goodbye's over that Sarah allowed herself to think that that may not be as easy as said, especially when she realised the teenager girl was nowhere to be seen.


	12. Chapter 12

Dawn had eventually turned up the next day, somewhat bemused at all the fuss she walked into when she came through the door. When questioned by a furious Lester she'd admitted that she'd been to Stephen's grave for a couple of hours before staying around a friends' house that night. Lester had suspected she was holding something back but had let it go when an anomaly alert had sounded.

"Why does Sarah get to go but not me?" she complained with a pout when she discovered the older woman had tagged along to the site. Lester had frowned.

"Because you're a sixteen year old girl who shouldn't even be in this facility in the first place."

"Nearly seventeen." She reminded him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Still not old enough. Now stop moaning." He placed a hand on her shoulder and forced her to sit on a desk in front of her schoolwork. She propped her chin on her hand but stayed there obediently, barely noticing when the elated team returned to the ARC.

Abby, Connor and Sarah were distracted by the Dracorex but Becker noticed her strange behaviour and when he received no explanation from her he mentioned it to Lester.

"Is she ok?"

Lester followed his gaze to the teenager, who sat with her hair in a bun, a black cardigan thrown over her school uniform and her wrists absent of their usual bracelets. He sighed. "I don't think so. But there's not much we can do other than keep an eye on her."

He glanced meaningfully at the captain, who nodded. "Noted sir."

"Hey kid!" Danny stuck his head around the door, frowning when he saw Dawn jerk. "Are you ok?"

She bit her lip, nodding. "I… ah, could you not call me that?" she asked apologetically. Danny nodded, making a note to ask someone about that later.

"Sure thing. I was gonna ask if you wanna help me and Becker test security? When I mentioned it everyone said you're the one who knows the place better than anyone." He raised an eyebrow. Dawn grinned.

"They were still building this place when we all moved in- I spent my summer holidays here with absolutely nothing to do but explore." She explained. "So yeah- I'd love to!"

Danny grabbed her hand and they ran off, Dawn quickly changing from her school uniform into jeans and a shirt. "So- any ideas?" Danny asked her.

"There's a loading bay at the back- if you duck in when the door is half down the camera is blocked so can't see you." She suggested. He grinned.

"Let's do it."

They did so, managing to evade capture for a few minutes before they turned a corner and ran smack bang into Becker, who smirked. "Close. Not quite close enough."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Dawn pointed out in puzzlement.

"Not when we're trying to beat him." Danny said grouchily. "Come on- I have another idea."

They tried his way of scaling a fire escape and dropping in through the roof but got caught in even less time. They tried a couple more but Becker got them in less then twenty seconds. "What about the ventilation system?" Dawn eventually suggested. Danny considered it.

"There's a way in through the car park." He grinned. "Let's go."

They abseiled down, Danny quickly disarming the system so they could drop to the floor. They were grinning, right up until the point an alarm was triggered when Danny stepped into the corridor. They exchanged a weary glance and he took off running. "Bang!" Becker appeared from a side door, a small smirk on his face. Danny sighed, leaning against the wall. "Twenty four seconds, congratulations. That's three seconds longer than last time."

"Bang." Dawn stepped up quietly behind him, pressing her finger to his back. Becker froze, annoyance flashing across his face which caused Danny to break into helpless laughter as she dodged past them down the corridor, running from the soldiers who looked at Becker in confusion.

"He's dead." Danny said helpfully. They gave a nod, sprinting after the faux intruder while Becker looked to Danny.

"How did you get in?"

"Car park, ventilation system. I suggest you-"

"Check all infrared systems are tamper proof and secure all ventilation shafts." Finished Becker into his device.

"Exactly." They walked up the corridor, spotting Dawn skipping back towards them.

"I reached the operations centre before they caught me." She crowed cheerfully. "That's enough time to throw a bomb and cause quite a lot of damage."

"Smart ass." Becker rolled his eyes. Dawn winked.

"Yup. Hi Sarah!" she scampered off as she spotted the scientist, looking over the now-clean artefact. "Any idea what it is yet?"

"None." Sarah sighed. Dawn watched as she and Connor ran around it, trying to figure out what it did, staying silent as they became more and more stressed until suddenly Connor knocked it and caused light to come shooting out of it. They all stared in awe, the entire room stilling as they stared at the golden shapes.

"Oh my god!" Dawn laughed breathily.

"Did you see that!?" Sarah beamed, her hands on her head.

"That was like… incredible! It… was that some kind of map?" Connor stammered excitedly.

"It… the point where the lines crossed, it looked exactly like-"

"Cutter's research model! He knew!" Connor beamed, glancing at Dawn joyfully. "Cutter knew. This is some kind of key to… I don't know, predicting anomalies!"

"Dad wasn't just plotting anomalies that had already opened- he was working out ones that would open again." Dawn grinned.

"Whatever we did we have to do it again!" Connor stated. Dawn raised her eyebrows as Sarah voiced what she was thinking.

"What did you do?"

He paused. "Not a hundred percent sure." He admitted. They were trying to work it out when Danny hollered across the room.

"CONNOR!"

"Yo?"

"They've seen it!"

"Who's seen what?" he questioned confusedly.

"Johnson! She knows we've got the artefact- we've got five minutes." He began to rush down while everyone scrambled into action. They began to race out but Becker yelled at them to stop, informing them it was too late and hustling them into an adjacent room.

"I know one exit she won't have got covered." Danny smirked. Becker grinned.

"Lester's looking for a safehouse. Whatever you do, don't break cover." He ordered. "We'll find you when it's clear."

They got to the ventilation shaft, Danny and Connor helping the girls up first. "Not you Dawn." Becker held her back.

"What?"

"She's probably in more danger than all of us!" Abby protested.

"She's also underage. If you take her with you, Johnson could have you all on kidnapping charges too." Becker said urgently. "I'll look after her- now go!"

He waited until they were gone before he looked to the teenager. "What's she going to do?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know. Just remember we all promised Jenny and your father to look after you, ok?" he led her to the main operations room, pressing her against the wall as he ordered them to drop their weapons. Dawn listened with growing trepidation as Christine announced that he now took orders from her, before she vanished upstairs. Becker motioned for Dawn to stay with him- dressed as she was she didn't immediately stand out. She slipped into the room and blended into the crowd until she felt her stomach drop as Johnson's voice rang out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, James Lester has been relieved of his duties. Please continue working normally and this transition will run smoothly."

Dawn met Lester's eyes, horror running through her but he merely winked inconspicuously while continuing to walk. She bit her lip, sitting at a nearby table as she watched everyone carry on like nothing had happened, until Becker was escorted in to meet with Christine.

"You do realise this isn't personal, captain." She said with a smirk. "It's purely a question of national security."

"Of course ma'am."

She turned to him with a smile. "I've looked at your file, Becker. You're a good soldier." Her smile dropped slightly. "I am your commanding officer now. I assume there is no conflict of loyalties?"

"None at all." He answered emotionlessly.

"Find me that artefact… And you're looking at a _very_ rapid promotion." She told him. He showed no reaction, other than to lean forward slightly.

"I'll do my best."

Dawn quickly left the room at this point, walking quickly to her father's labs- which were still cordoned off- and ducking into them. Over the last few weeks she'd been trying to make sense of his notes, which were now pinned around the walls all around his office. She sat on the floor in the middle of them, the tangled wires now pushed into one corner out the way and began to continue to decode them with one headphone in, not noticing as a few hours passed.

Eventually, she heard movement behind her but didn't bother turn around- Becker was the only one left in the building who would know where she was. "Becker, what would you guess P.E.T.P. means? It's not a location, or a creature or a time but it's written all over this section of notes." She asked, frowning at the paper in front of her.

"I'm afraid I haven't the faintest idea Miss Cutter." A female voice answered. Dawn jumped, looking behind her to see Christine Johnson standing there. She unhooked the earphone, rising to her feet.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were…"

"Captain Becker, yes. I'm afraid not." She finished. "I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced- I'm Christine Johnson."

Dawn took the offered hand. "Dawn. It's nice to meet you."

"Tell me Dawn." She began, casting her gaze over the surrounding walls. "Is it usual for you to do the work of a government scientist when you're not even a legal adult yet?"

"I'm not exactly a usual case, Miss Johnson." She answered quietly. She got a small smile.

"I'd noticed." She said somewhat dryly. "A teenaged girl, doing top secret work for the government. Unofficially, of course."

"Miss Johnson, I don't mean to be rude but is there a point to this?" Dawn asked softly. Christine smiled, flashing teeth.

"Of course. I wanted to know if you knew where the team are with the artefact."

Dawn raised an eyebrow at her bluntness. "I have absolutely no idea." She said dismissively. Christine stared at her.

"Would you tell me of you did?" she inquired, before her tone lightened and began sweeter. "You won't be in any trouble Dawn, you have nothing to do with this. But what they've done is stealing and if you know where they are or where you're going you must tell me."

Dawn smiled coldly, turning to face her fully. "Miss Johnson, I'm going to assume you've read my file in which case you're perfectly aware of the fact that I'm not your average teenager. I'm cleverer than anyone realises, even my father and have a higher IQ than everyone currently in this building. And right now, neither is there anyone else who knows more about the anomalies. So please don't treat me like a child- I'm perfectly aware of the consequences of what they've done and the sanctions they'll likely be facing when they're caught."

Christine looked surprised, but a slow smile spread across her lips. "My apologies, Miss Cutter. You're absolutely right. But of I may say so, you don't seem to have much loyalty to them."

"Why would I?" Dawn questioned brusquely. She raised an eyebrow.

"You've been around them for a long time, they're your fathers' team."

"Exactly. They're not mine." Dawn pointed out. "Miss Johnson, the anomalies have taken almost everything from me. Do you really think I would allow them the opportunity to take something else? I've become quite good at distancing myself- I intend to continue to do so."

Christine looked startled, blinking. "It appears I underestimated you, Miss Cutter." She said mildly. "I have a… proposition for you."

"Oh?" Dawn looked at her curiously.

"I want you to work for me. Off books, for now, until you're of age of course. I want you to continue your father's research into the anomalies, the prediction model." Christine explained. Dawn raised her eyebrows.

"So… basically continuing what I'm doing now?"

"Yes. But being paid for it." Smiled Christine. Dawn blinked, before slowly nodding.

"Why not?" she shrugged. Christine's smile widened.

"Excellent." Suddenly, the soldier accompanying her leant forward and whispered in her ear, causing her to frown. "I have to go- it was a pleasure Dawn."

Dawn inclined her head as she walked out, blinking slightly in surprise one she was gone. Of all the things, she hadn't quite been expecting that. She lowered herself back to the floor but heard someone else enter the room before she could even pick up her pen.

"What did Johnson want?" Becker asked her.

"To offer me a job." Dawn watched his eyes widen in surprise.

"She's obviously intending to stay." He murmured.

"Were you expecting anything else?" Dawn questioned in surprise. He gave a faint smile.

"I suppose not. She seems that sort of person." He commented, meeting her eyes.

"Yes. Very… independent." She agreed, watching him carefully. A look passed between them, and with that Becker nodded once ad left again, leaving her alone.

A few hours later, she wandered down to the operations centre, sorting various files into the correct places. Becker met her eyes from across the room, gave an almost imperceptible nod as he came over, a hand on her waist as he leant across to pick up the set of keys lying on the desk.

Dawn smiled.

Johnson was occupied with a phone call in her office so Dawn quickly slipped from the building, sending a small smile to the soldier on duty. "Taxi!" she called, climbing into the black cab and gave the address, wishing not for the first time that London wasn't quite so busy. "Bloody hell- if he has a house like this why's he working for the government?" she muttered, knocking on the door.

She was surprised when a pretty brunette opened it. "Can I help you?"

"Oh um… yes, could I speak to James Lester please?" Dawn asked politely. The woman stepped back slightly, calling into the house.

"James! You have a visitor!"

The woman looked curiously at Dawn, who was well aware she was likely not the usual sort of visitor Lester got. She heard Lester approach before she saw him, masking her surprise when he finally appeared dressed more casually than she'd ever seen him. "Dawn what are you doing here?" he grilled immediately.

She raised an eyebrow. "Good afternoon to you too, I'm fine thank you. How are you?"

Lester rolled his eyes while the woman- his wife?- laughed softly. "Don't be smart." He frowned at her but she saw amusement twinkling in his eyes. She smiled.

"But if I wasn't smart you wouldn't be expected in the office in a few hours." She said innocently. His eyes narrowed.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. She smirked, slipping her hand into her pocket and pulling out the recorder Becker had put in there, pressing play. Lester began to smirk as Christine's voice rang through. "Remind me to give the captain a raise."

"What about me?" Dawn said indignantly. He grinned, kissing her forehead.

"You don't work for me."

He sat down at the computer while his wife raised an eyebrow at Dawn. "Since my husband is too rude to introduce us, I'll have to do it myself. I'm Amelia Lester."

"Dawn Cutter." She smiled shyly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Dammit. Dawn- how do you upload an audio file?" Lester questioned in annoyance. She grinned, leaning over and doing it with a few clicks. He frowned. "Oh."

"Shall I send it as well?" she enquired helpfully. He tapped her on the nose, sending the email with a few swipes of the keys.

"There. I wonder what the minister will say to that." He smirked. Dawn giggled while his wife rolled her eyes.

"Be nice." She scolded playfully.

"To Christine Johnson?" he questioned incredulously. She paused.

"Point taken." She conceded.

"I really wish I could see her face when she realises!" Dawn laughed.

"Well, maybe you will. It can be your reward." Lester said.

True to his word, she was at his side when he walked into the ARC that afternoon, although unusually she stayed silent as he and Christine faced off, only breaking into audible giggles when the other four did. Sarah skipped over to Becker, kissing his cheek. "You are my hero!" she declared as Abby wrapped her arms around Dawn.

"And mine." Lester agreed. "Though don't expect any kisses from me."

Dawn couldn't stop the smile as they left his office, Danny slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Alright, admit it." He grinned. "You did something while we were away."

Dawn opened her mouth, then closed it again. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." She smiled wildly, bounding forward to spin happily on a chair while the others greeted various colleagues. And when Lester appeared by the railings, she made sure she was clapping as loudly as anyone.


	13. Chapter 13

The flurry of back to school work meant that Dawn didn't return to the ARC for several weeks. Sarah and Becker seemed to be taking it in turns to sleep in the spare room, and when she'd complained she'd been strongly reminded that it was them or a foster home. The only time she did make an appearance was when Sarah came home with the story about Abby's idiot younger brother, prompting Dawn to declare she was glad she was an only child and to promptly rush to the ARC the next day, hugging all involved tightly.

"Dawn? What does it mean when a girl kisses you?" Connor asked her suddenly. Dawn choked on the water she'd just sipped, turning to face him fully.

"Shouldn't it be the teenager asking you that?" she questioned amusedly, smiling wider when he blushed crimson. He muttered something incomprehensible, scurrying out the room. "It usually means she likes you!" she called after him, giggling when he simply reddened even further.

The next few days passed quickly, until one morning Dawn woke to a note from Sarah telling her that'd she's already been called into the ARC. She swung herself out of bed, quickly dressing and getting ready to go out, grabbing a slice of toast to munch on the way to the bus stop. The ARC seemed bizarrely normal- until she got to the break room that was.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Dawn paused, smiling shyly as she stared in surprise at the surrounding group. "Didn't think we'd forget did you?" Abby beamed, bouncing forward to hug her tightly. Dawn giggled softly, thanking her as Abby held out a gift. "For you."

She tore into it and promptly burst into laughter, holding up the stuffed Coelurosauravus with a grin. "I'll call her Abby!" she declared, kissing its namesake on the cheek. The mini party went on, and by the end of it Dawn had a new laptop (courtesy of all the other personnel in the ARC, who had all chipped in to help buy it- there had been a lot of squealing when she'd opened it), a beautiful pendant necklace from Becker, several new CD's from Sarah, a TV box set from Connor and a new set of dance shoes from Lester and his wife.

"Thank you all, really." Dawn told them sincerely, smiling happily at them. They all began to wander off, until only Sarah remained.

"This is for you too." She handed Dawn an envelope but before the teenager could ask anything she'd disappeared. Dawn frowned, opening the envelope.

_Dawn,_

_Happy birthday sweetheart._

_I miss you… but I understand. You have my address when you're ready._

_Love Jenny_

Dawn felt a tear slide down her cheek, which was quickly followed by another when she pulled out tickets to a show she mentioned months ago that she wanted to see. She stared at them for a long moment, before she slowly- deliberately- ripped them up along with the note and let the pieces scatter into the bin.

Dawn was waiting in the operations centre for the team to return, swinging on her chair uninterestedly until she spotted who had just strode in. She bolted upright, eyes wide. But Christine Johnson said nothing to her, instead simply making her way confidently to Lester's office.

"Well crap." Dawn muttered once they were out of earshot. She nibbled her lip nervously until Lester appeared on the catwalk.

"Where's Quinn?" he mouthed. She shrugged, looking faintly alarmed but he shook his head, silently telling him not to worry. That didn't stop her though and she waited impatiently until Danny walked in with Abby and an unfamiliar woman.

"The boss would like to see you." A soldier relayed.

"What, now?"

"Yeah."

Danny sighed. "Stay here." He ordered the woman before turning to Abby. "Watch her."

"Danny!" Dawn called, attracting their attention and she didn't miss the way the woman's eyes widened. "Chri-"

"Not now Dawn!" he said distractedly, jogging upstairs. "Oh, and happy birthday!" he yelled before vanishing into Lester's office.

"Oh bloody hell." Dawn groaned. Abby frowned.

"Language." She reproached. "But what is it?"

"Christine Johnson is here!" Dawn flopped into a chair. "Prepare for fireworks."

"Again." Abby sighed. Dawn looked at the dark haired woman and smiled weakly.

"Hello. I'm Dawn." She greeted. The woman smiled unsurely.

"Eve." She introduced before she began to wander around, looking at the artefact especially. Dawn watched lazily, glancing at the calculations on the table in front of her. She frowned.

"Abby? Did Sarah mention what vectors she was measuring these against?" she questioned. Abby shook her head.

"No. Why?"

"These equations… they're impossible. They'd put her in completely the wrong era…" Dawn bent her head, not seeing the surprised look Eve gave her. She lost herself in the equations until she heard the doors burst open and Connor and Sarah bolted through, panicked.

"What's going on?" Johnson questioned, just as Eve leapt forward and grabbed her, holding a gun to her head. Dawn shot to her feet, gripping the table as she stared with wide eyes.

"Thanks for bringing me here Danny." Eve said coolly. "I really don't know how I would have done it without you." Lester walked up, not entirely sure what was going on but unhappy about it all the same. "You know I'm not bluffing."

Dawn's eyes snapped to her face as she realised her voice had changed and was stunned to see her face shifting in front of her eyes as she watched. "Now give me the artefact, or she dies."

"Mum?!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Helen?!" Abby said at the same time.

Dawn watched in horror as her mother proceeded to try to snatch the artefact when Connor offered it to her, after much deliberation. "Just… just tell me how. How you could try to _kill_ your own husband? The father of your child?"

She stared at him in shock. "Try? What are you talking about?"

"You don't know?" Abby questioned. Helen looked furious.

"Know what? What are you talking about?"

"Cutter's not dead." Connor told her. "He survived."

Helen froze. "No…"

"Wait, you mean you haven't seen him?" Dawn demanded. Helen looked at her questioningly.

"Why would I have seen him?"

"Because he came after you! He went through an anomaly to find you!" Dawn cried. Helen looked at her.

"Then he's probably dead anyway." She told her. "The past is a dangerous place."

"How can you be so uncaring? You tried to _kill_ him!" Connor cried.

She looked at him. "I had no choice." She told him softly. "I loved him, Connor. But he was part of all this. Part of _everything_ that goes wrong. This… is the beginning of the chaos. It all starts here."

"You sound insane." Dawn told her. Helen smiled faintly.

"What are you talking about?" Enquired Lester.

"You know I thought that killing Nick would be enough but it wasn't. So now I have to finish it… once and for all."

She began to move towards the door, dragging Christine with her. "Mum, stop! Let her go!" Dawn protested.

"You follow, she's dead!" Helen yelled.

"Dawn, stay here!" Lester ordered as Danny sprinted out the door.

"Like hell I will!" she snapped. "She's my _mother_."

She rushed out after Abby and Sarah, jumping in the car with them and digging her nails into her palms nervously as they drove after Connor and Danny. "This is Christine Johnson's headquarters." Abby realised. "What does Helen want here?"

"The anomaly." Sarah said quietly. They pulled up outside and ran through, surprised when the soldiers didn't even try to stop them.

Dawn felt her stomach clench when she saw Danny and Connor standing dejectedly in front of her, knowing instinctively what it meant. "She's gone."

Danny glanced at her sympathetically before suddenly the anomaly opened again and Christine Johnson threw herself through, screaming. They all lunged forward to help her; Dawn didn't like the woman but that didn't mean she wanted her to die. But then the predator came through and snarled, and Dawn instinctively leapt back, crying out. To her horror, she realised everyone else had too and the predator dragged Christine through the anomaly a second before it closed.

"Oh my God…" Dawn whispered, looking faintly ill. The blood pounding in her ears made it hard to hear anything, until she felt someone touch her arm.

"Are you ok?" Connor asked her in concern. She nodded silently. "Did you hear what we said?" he questioned. She shook her head. "We're going after her."

Dawn's eyes snapped to his face. "Then I'm coming too." She told him, her voice rough. He shook his head.

"Dawn…" he began but she cut him off sharply.

"No! My mother did this. I need to help."

Connor looked unconvinced, looking to the others for help. "Your dad would never forgive us if we let you go through an anomaly."

"My dad is most likely dead and far past caring whether I follow in his footsteps or not!" Dawn said harshly. "I'm coming. And if you don't let me I'll simply go through a different one without you. I helped you build the detectors Connor, you know I can do it again."

Connor looked sheepish when Danny raised an exasperated eyebrow at him. "Fine." He conceded. In a tense silence, they drove to the race track with Danny calling Lester on the way and filling him in.

"Alright. So what've we got?" Danny asked once they'd pulled up and circled around Becker.

"Stun grenades." Becker held one up. "Future predators have hyper sensitive hearing, yeah? These should stop them dead in their tracks."

"Got any earplugs in there?" Connor questioned.

"Use your fingers." Came the dry answer. "And if you don't want you eardrums to burst, I suggest you keep your mouth open."

"That won't be difficult for Connor." Abby teased, her face serious. Dawn smiled in amusement.

"Don't be too close when you throw them." Becker instructed.

"Alright." Danny said grimly. "Let's do this."

They were walking towards the anomaly when Dawn heard the familiar bleeping coming from Connor's pocket. "No! Not now!" he hissed as he pulled it out.

"It's Johnson's HQ." Sarah sighed.

"D'you think it's Helen?" Abby asked. Dawn stiffened.

"It could be." Danny nodded. "But if we go back there and we're wrong, then…"

"We could lose them completely." Dawn finished. Danny ran a hand over his head, looking stressed.

"Danny? You need to make the call." Connor prompted. He nodded.

"Right. Becker- you check it out." he ordered. "Sarah and Dawn, you go with him." At least you'll be safer, he added silently. "Abby, Connor, you're with me. Wherever she is, we'll stop her."

"Danny, I want to go with you!" Sarah protested.

"Look." Danny began. "I need you to do this for me."

"Yeah but what if you don't-"

"Look, no one's saying goodbye here." He told her. "We're all coming back. Now, once we're through close the anomaly- it's far too dangerous to leave it open. Unlock it in two hours. Okay?" he placed his hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"Here." Becker handed over his gun. "Take care." Danny nodded at him in thanks.

"Oh for Gods sakes- Danny, would you kiss her already?" Dawn said in exasperation. They all stared at her. "What? You were all thinking it! She likes him, he likes her and he's about to jump through an anomaly!" Dawn rolled her eyes. By mutual agreement, they all drifted away to give the two some privacy.

"Really Dawn?" Abby raised an eyebrow at her. Dawn shrugged.

"What? I'm tired of you lot dancing around each other! You and Stephen did it, Jenny and my dad did it, you and Connor do it and those two were doing it. I figured the first two are out, you and Connor are slowly getting there so that just left Danny and Sarah."

"Let's move out!" Danny called to them. Sarah had a faint blush over her cheeks but she stepped over to the computer obediently, unlocking the anomaly.

"Connor!" Becker called.

"Yo?"

"Might need this." He chucked the rucksack over. Connor looked faintly surprised, but nodded.

"Thanks."

Dawn moved to crouch next to Becker and Sarah, nerves clear on her face as she watched the three glance back one last time, before they stepped through the anomaly.

"What did he say to you?" she asked Sarah quietly.

"He asked me to wait for him." The woman answered, sounding slightly dazed as she raised her fingers to touch her lips. Dawn smiled when she saw the gesture.

"Let's get going." Becker pressed.

"What about Johnson's people?" asked Sarah.

"They won't be happy to see us." Agreed Dawn.

"The operation's been closed down." Becker said, casting a glance at the anomaly. "The place should be empty- come on."

He lead them out and drove them back the way they'd come, driving straight into through the former security checkpoints and into the underground area. "Nobody on the gate then." Becker commented. "Let's hope it's all that easy."

"I wouldn't bet on it." They climbed out once the car had halted, Dawn peeking at the detector over Sarah's shoulder. "Over here." She instructed.

They hurried through the corridors until they emerged into a large, open reception-type area. A strange noise had them all looking around. "What… was that?" Dawn asked softly. It happened again, along with a thud. They looked up.

Sarah reached out and pulled Dawn in closer to her and Becker, eyeing the surrounding area as the thrumming noise became louder until with a flash of horror, she saw the creature. "Becker!" she cried. He spun, pushing her and Dawn roughly behind him. Dawn tripped and stumbled, looking around only to see him on the floor, almost under the creature.

"Run!" he shouted at them, scrambling to his feet. They did so, ending up on a walkway, only to find another one aiming straight for them and yet another in front of them. "Throw them over the side!" Becker yelled, catching hold of a large grey back and hauling it over the railings. He didn't wait, picking up Sarah by the waist and lifting her over. She screamed. Dawn grinned, pushing herself up while Becker helped and she jumped.

"Weehee!" she laughed, scrambling out of the way once she'd hit the bags as Becker followed her almost immediately. They climbed off and ran down the next flight, Becker turning to glance behind them as they ran back to the car.

Dawn had just enough time to breathe a sigh of relief when the creature appeared again. Sarah shrieked while Becker simply grabbed Dawn and yanked her with him, intending on reaching the driver's side but the creature was there, smashing through the window.

"Watch out!" Dawn yelled as the other came back to Sarah, who opened the door straight in front of it, causing it to smash into it.

"Run!" Becker hollered, grabbing their hands and pulling them with him. They sprinted up until Becker bustled them into a grated room, shutting them firmly in before they backed away.

"There's no way out, Becker, there's no way out!" Sarah realised, panicking.

"I'll call the backup team. We can tell them exactly where we are." He rationalised.

"I think it's a bit too late for that now!"

"Guys!" Dawn cried, staring at the creatures.

"Oh my god, they're coming through!" Becker exclaimed. "Right- we need to get both of them on the grill at the same time!"

"You what?" Sarah questioned.

"C'mon- we've only got one shot at this!" he urged them. Dawn stepped forward.

"Hey! Hey, over here!" she called but Sarah hesitated.

"Come one Sarah, you can do this!" Becker barked.

"C'mon!" she yelled, trying to attract them. Finally Becker finished what he was doing and he slammed the wires onto the grill, electrocuting the creatures. They all stepped back, breathing heavily and slid down the wall. "Do you think that's the last of those things?"

"Let's go find out." he hauled them to their feet and they rushed through the building to the site of the anomaly.

"The anomalies closed!" Sarah said. Dawn was looking at the body, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"Let's get out of here." Becker said, following her gaze.

"Oh my god!" Sarah suddenly cried. "We're going to miss the time to open the anomaly!"

"C'mon!" they sprinted back through the building and broke every speed limit on the way back to the race track.

"We made it!" Dawn glanced at her watch.

"It's time." Sarah panted, glancing at the soldier Becker had taken the gun from. He unlocked it and they waited tensely.

"Where are they?" Sarah asked, reaching out to slip her hand around Dawn's.

"C'mon Quinn! Hurry up!" Becker hissed, half to himself. Dawn swallowed thickly.

"What're we going to do?" Sarah asked, pacing slightly. Dawn wrapped her arms around herself.

"They'll be back." Becker said confidently.

"When?" Dawn questioned softly. There was a silence.

"I've got an idea." Sarah declared suddenly. Becker raised an eyebrow when she hurried over to her bag and pulled out her laptop, crossing her legs as she sat on the floor and started it up.

"Sarah?" Dawn questioned, moving closer.

"If I can check the fossil records, I can find anomalies. Tech and materials that shouldn't be there- we might be able to pinpoint if they went back to the past." Sarah explained. Becker frowned.

"Sarah… they went to the future." He reminded her. She shook her head, eyes bright.

"Yeah, but there's this page in the diary. It's talking about hominids." Sarah pointed out the page she'd been studying on the drive over.

"If mum wanted to change evolution she would go to the past. She must have needed some tech or information and that's why she went forwards, and then through another anomaly to the past!" Dawn realised. Becker nodded, sitting himself on Sarah's other side.

"Then let's get to it."


	14. Chapter 14

Dawn stood beside the grave, her arms wrapped around herself as the wind blew gently and the sun barely peeked out from behind the clouds. She didn't talk, choosing to remain in a simple silence. "Dawn?" Becker's voice made her jump slightly but she didn't turn around, only tilting her head slightly as he stepped closer.

He drew up beside her, looking down at the grave for a moment before handing her an envelope. She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" she asked, her voice scratchy from disuse.

"Your contract. Lester persuaded the minister to allow you onto the team." Dawn stared at the white paper in her hand, before she slipped it into her pocket.

"Thanks. And you?"

"Signed it this morning." Becker told her. There was a long silence.

"It wasn't your fault, you know." Dawn said suddenly. He frowned questioningly at her. "Sarah. And me. We knew what we were choosing to do, we knew the dangers."

Becker ducked his head slightly. "I should have been faster." He said quietly, pain flashing through him as he remembered the events of a few months ago.

_"__You are not going on that mission!" Lester snapped at Dawn. She ground her teeth._

_"__Right now, I am the person who knows more about the anomalies and the creatures than anyone else!" she yelled. "People I care about are missing, how can I not go?!"_

_"__You're seventeen Dawn!"_

_"__Exactly!" she cried in frustration. "I'm not a child James and I haven't been for a very long time! I know what I'm getting into! James- I can help, you know I can! More than soldiers with guns at any rate!"_

_Lester looked torn, running a hand over his head. "Becker makes the final decision. If he says no, then that is the ultimate answer, is that understood?" _

_Dawn nodded eagerly, following him out. Becker saw them coming, and sighed. "Dawn…" he began, knowing what was coming._

_"__Oh, let her come Becker. She isn't your average teenager- she'll be able to help." Sarah said before he could deny her. Dawn smiled gratefully at her while Becker groaned._

_"__You do _exactly_as I say." He warned. Dawn nodded her agreement and a few hours later was on her way through the anomaly with them. They searched for hours, but found nothing and eventually ran out of time. This happened twice more, and each time they became more and more despondent as they found no sign of their missing friends. Dawn threw herself into solving her father's prediction model while Sarah deciphered Helen's diary._

_And then there was that final mission. Dawn had her mothers' diary; she was searching for something useful as they walked while Becker and his men were keeping an eye out for one of the predators. None of them noticed when Sarah wandered off ahead of the rest of them until she screamed. _

_"__BECKER!"_

_"__Sarah!" Dawn cried, forgetting protocol and racing forward, rounding the corner at breakneck speed. The woman was lying on the floor, a predator standing over her but Dawn quickly realised her mistake as she skidded to a halt, because its attention was now on her. It snarled, pacing towards her. _

_She gasped, stepping back but it leapt towards her. Instinctively she ducked, rolling as she hit the floor. The predator missed, landing harmlessly on the ground but was now behind her and she scrambled back, getting to her feet just as it lashed out at her._

_She screamed as her neck, chest and shoulder flared in a bright pain, falling to the ground. The predator roared. "HEY!" Becker bellowed, shooting at it over and over again. The creature roared but Dawn ignored it, crawling back to Sarah, her injured arm cradled against her chest._

_"__Sarah? Sarah?" she whispered, touching the woman's face. Behind her, the predator had fallen silent and sounds of boots hitting the floor came closer. Dawn looked up as Becker dropped to his knees beside them. "Becker- there's so much blood!" she sobbed, gasping._

_"__No no no. Sarah…" he breathed, his fingers slipping in the blood as he searched for a pulse. A beat passed, then another. "She's alive. We have to get back!" he scooped Sarah up, nodding for another soldier to help Dawn. They ran, the soldiers shooting shot after shot at the approaching predators but they finally made it back through the anomaly, the waiting soldiers on the other side closing it behind them._

_And from there it was a blur of car journeys and hospital corridors and doctors with nurses and loneliness until finally, Lester appeared in Dawn's hospital room. She was curled on her side, her arm strapped to her chest as tears streaked down her face. Without a word, Lester sat beside her, stroking her hair. She turned to him, burying her face in his shoulder as he held her tightly. Eventually, a doctor appeared, informing Dawn that she didn't need surgery but did need stitches and to have her arm strapped up for the next few weeks. She nodded silently. The doctor looked to Lester._

_"__Are you her father?" he asked. "We need some forms signed."_

_Dawn flinched at his words but Lester placed his hand on her arm, shaking his head. "No but I am her guardian. Give them to me."_

_She glanced at him. "Since when?" she questioned in a whisper. _

_"__Since about ten seconds ago." He answered, scribbling his signature. It was halfway through having the stitches that Dawn gathered up the courage to ask about Sarah. Lester looked pained. "She's in surgery. We… we don't know Dawn."_

_It was by unspoken agreement that they ignored the doctors' orders to go home and rest, instead choosing to find Becker in the waiting room where he sat with his head in his hands. Dawn walked hesitantly over to him, unsure if her presence would be welcome but that was dispelled when he looked up and reached for her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Lester sat on her other side and they waited._

_"__Family of Sarah Page?" a tired doctor finally appeared._

_"__Yes?" they said simultaneously, shooting to their feet. _

_"__You're all family?" the doctor questioned doubtfully._

_"__That's her brother, I'm their niece and that's her father." Dawn said impatiently. "Is she ok?"_

_The doctor didn't look convinced, but accepted it. "She came through the surgery." He told them. "But she's very badly injured- as well as the visible injuries, she had internal bleeding and an injury to the brain. What did you say attacked her?"_

_"__We didn't." Lester said shortly. "Will she be alright?"_

_"__Honestly, we don't know. Right now, she's on life support after she fell into a coma. Not all patients make it back after an injury like this."_

_"__Sarah will." Dawn said stubbornly._

_For the next few weeks, Dawn refused to leave Sarah's bedside, even as Lester and Becker were called into debriefings and meetings. "I'm sorry." She whispered the unconscious woman. She jolted when she felt a hand on her shoulder._

_"__It's not your fault, Dawn." Becker told her, urging her to stand so he could take her place and pull her to sit on his legs._

_"__My mother did this." Dawn murmured, resting her head on his shoulder._

_"__That doesn't make it your fault. Do you realise you're the reason we're not burying her?" _

_"__What?" she sat up to look at him in confusion._

_"__If you hadn't attracted the creatures' attention when you did, it would have injured her further. We wouldn't have made it back through the anomaly with her, let alone to the hospital. She's alive because of you Dawn."_

_She didn't look convinced but nodded. "Why won't she wake up? My dad had by now."_

_"__I don't know." Becker admitted. "But she will."_

Present day

She hadn't though, not yet. She'd spent months in a coma, the doctors becoming less and less optimistic as time wore on. Lester and Becker had struggled through; each assuming Dawn was with the other, until Becker asked after her after a meeting one day.

_"__Sir? If I might, I was wondering how Dawn is? I haven't seen her in a while…" Becker approached Lester, who looked at him in shock._

_"__What are you talking about?" he questioned. "I haven't seen her in weeks, I assumed she was with you!"_

_They stared at each other in horror as realisation set in. "Her house?" Becker suggested. Lester nodded, not arguing when Becker climbed into the drivers' seat and broke every speed limit in getting to the house she'd once shared with her parents. They both jumped out, banging on the front door. "Dawn? Dawn, open the door!" Becker yelled. _

_There was no answer, and when they peeked into the windows the house was in darkness. They searched around for days but couldn't find her, both consumed with guilt that they hadn't noticed the absence of the teenager, to the point that Lester's wife had commented on it and dragged him out of the house with their children. They'd been sat in the outside of a restaurant for lunch when Lester found his attention drawn to a group of teens sitting around a fountain a little way away. They were drinking from bottles and there was music blaring._

_As Lester watched, a girl in the middle stood abruptly and pulled a boy to his feet, moving back and tapping her foot a few times before launching into a series of dance moves, which the boy then responded to. "Cool! A dance off!" Lester's son grinned delightedly, prompting him and his siblings to scramble out of their seats and rush over to watch._

_"__A what?" he grumbled, reluctantly allowing Amelia to tug him to his feet and move closer._

_"__It's a fight dear, with dance moves instead of fists." She explained with an indulgent smile. They stood and watched for a while, and then Lester realised why he'd been watching the teens in the first place- the centre girl was Dawn. She laughed as she moved, her hands in the air and her head flung back._

_He stiffened, watching her angrily. Amelia noticed, and followed his gaze. "Is that the girl that came to our house that one time? Dawn, was it?" she recognised. He nodded._

_"__Damn it, she's drunk out of her mind." He cursed, recognising the look on her face. Suddenly, the girl spun out a few steps in time with the music before launching into a series of complicated flips and twists that had the gathered crown cheering wildly and the boy she was dancing against holding up his hands in surrender. She finished with a broad flourish at the same time as the music, bowing to the crowd with a bright grin before skipping back to sit with the group. _

_"__Coordinated, for a drunk." Amelia observed._

_"__Excuse me." Lester ground out, waiting until the crowd had dispersed before striding over._

_"__What's dad doing?" he heard his son ask as he moved away._

_"__Dawn!" He ground out at her. She looked up, raising her eyebrows._

_"__Hello James. What are you doing here?" she greeted. He glared at her, stepping forwards._

_"__With me. Now." He ordered. She scowled._

_"__I'm not going anywhere! You have no right to order me around!"_

_"__Hey Dawn? This guy bothering you?" one of the boys asked. Lester shot him a cool glare._

_"__He's just leaving." Dawn said, stretching out so that her legs lay draped over another boys' lap._

_"__Dawn, I have absolutely not qualms about dragging you out forcefully but it will be much easier for everyone if you came of your own free will." Lester told her measuredly._

_"__I don't want to come, James, what part of that aren't you getting?!" she exclaimed angrily. She grasped a bottle in her hand, raising it to take another swig but Lester stepped forward and knocked it away. "Hey!"_

_"__You underage and in a public place!" he snapped. "Have you no respect for yourself?"_

_"__Oh plenty." She waved her hand airily. "I just choose not to show it every now and then."_

_The teens around them laughed and catcalled. "Go away old man!" the boy from earlier called. "She's just fine with us!"_

_Lester ignored him. "Dawn, if you get arrested here you will have a permanent record. You will never work at the ARC, it would threaten your chances at getting into university and obtaining any meaningful job!"_

_"__Do I look like I care?" Dawn enquired flatly. "Everyone I love and care about are gone. What the hell does _university_matter? Now if you don't mind I intend on getting as drunk as possible in the next few hours, so pop along."_

_Lester ground his teeth again. "Sorry Dawn." He said, reaching down and grabbing her arm to yank her up roughly._

_"__Hey!" he pulled her forcefully along with him, sending a sharp glare to the teens who protested. "Let me go!"_

_Lester had her wrist gripped tightly so that she didn't have much choice but to go along with him back to the restaurant where his family watched with eyes, but she didn't do it quietly, twisting and struggling against his hold. "You're making a scene." He told her, noticing more than a few stares._

_"__Let me go and I wouldn't be!" she cried, attempting to fight him off. _

_"__Not happening. 'Lia, I need to take Miss Cutter here home." He told his wife once they'd reached the table. She glanced warily between the two of them, but nodded._

_"__Very well, we'll get a taxi home. I'll see you later?"_

_"__Of course." He grabbed his jacket and proceeded to pull Dawn along with him. Once secured in his car she stopped fighting, choosing to sit sullenly with her arms crossed until he reached her house. She stormed inside, but Lester took it as progress that she didn't shut the door completely behind her. He quickly sent a text to Becker before he entered, only to find Dawn downing a shot of vodka. "Dawn!"_

_"__What? I'm not in a public place!" she said snidely. He sighed, taking the bottle from her and tipping it down the sink._

_"__James!"_

_"__No more! This is ridiculous- what has gotten in to you?" he exclaimed. "Drinking, hanging out with that group of… ruffians."_

_"__They're my friends!"_

_"__If you believe that then you're even more stupid than I originally thought." He said calmly. She glowered. "Dawn… I know you're hurting. But this isn't the way to cope with it." He said gently._

_"__How the hell would you know?" she asked bitterly, moving away into the living room. He followed her, taking a seat next to her on the sofa._

_"__Dawn- just explain why." He appealed. She looked at him for a long moment._

_"__Because I spent days planning how I could get to the past to change things. Which anomalies, which points to change and how to change them." She said bluntly. He blinked in surprise. "Being drunk stops me from thinking those things. I will not turn into my mother.__The timelines can't be used like that but when I know how to do it it's so hard not to just take the risk, to think it might be alright if I'm careful."_

_A tear slid down her cheek as she curled up against the sofa. "I'm scared James." She admitted in a whisper._

_"__Of what?"_

_"__Becoming my mum. Dad was scared of it too. I don't want to be like her- she's done so much damage and hurt so many people." she was falling asleep as she spoke, mumbling the words. Lester felt guilt pool within him as he realised that he'd forgotten just how young Dawn was._

_"__We won't let that happen Dawn, I promise you." He covered her with the throw from the back of the sofa, tucking it around her. "We would never let that happen."_

It had taken several more rounds of yelling and arguments but finally, between them Lester and Becker had gotten through to her and she'd settled down, throwing herself into completing her final year of school and had somehow passed her A levels with flying colours- even she wasn't entirely sure how. She had wanted to work for the ARC, approaching Lester almost immediately. But he'd put his foot down.

_"__You need a university education Dawn!"_

_"__I knew more than half of those professors at the open days I went to! How is getting a degree going to help me? Unless they're doing one in anomalies now?" she'd argued back sassily._

_"__Dawn, you're cleverer than Connor and your father put together! You will not waste that!" Lester had decreed. _

_"__You can't force me to go to university!" _

_"__No, but I can stop you from getting a job here at the ARC!" Lester had threatened._

_She'd shrugged. "Then I'll research the anomalies on my own."_

_"__I'll have you detained and locked up! It will be hard to do research from prison."_

_"__Oh please." She'd rolled her eyes. "As if you would!"_

_"__I really wouldn't try me Dawn!"_

_"__ENOUGH!" Becker had yelled, slamming his hands on the table. "You're both being ridiculous. Dawn- Lester is right, you need to go to university but Sir, Dawn is right too. Forcing her to spend years in further education is pointless when she could be helping _now_."_

_There was a silence. "A compromise then." Lester said quietly. "Dawn, you will go to university and get your degree. However, you will work here at the ARC as well, during your free time. BUT only once you've turned eighteen."_

Present day

That had led to the current situation, as her birthday had passed a few weeks ago. Becker had worriedly noticed Dawn spending more and more time at Stephen's grave- if she wasn't at the ARC or the hospital, it was a safe bet she would be there. He's broached the subject with Lester but he'd shrugged it off, saying it was natural and so Becker resolved to simply keep an eye on her the best he could.

Although Dawn was conducting research, Lester flat out refused to have her working under Phillip Burton and so had placed her on the field team while she carried out her own research in secret from the scientist. Becker had been unhappy but accepted it reluctantly, providing he would be allowed to train her. To his surprise, Dawn was already talented in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts. "My uncle was worried about me wandering about London by myself, so he gave me lessons right up until he died." She explained. He nodded, concentrating instead on weapons.

So far, Dawn had been avoiding Jess and Matt. She had no desire to meet the two who had replaced the people she cared about. Although she'd read their files (which even she could admit were impressive) and helped transfer the ADD operations from the original building to the new one, she'd carefully slipped away before the new recruits had appeared.

"Miss Cutter!" Lester called her over to where he was standing. She raised an eyebrow.

"Mr Lester." She mocked. Behind him at the ADD, Jess and Matt looked surprised at her attitude.

"I thought I made it clear that Rex, Sid and Nancy were to be kept at the ARC." He said. She looked at him innocently.

"Who?"

"Dawn…" he said warningly. "The menagerie is there for a reason-the creatures must go into it. Not at your house."

Dawn looked at him. "I don't know what you're talking about. The only animals at my house are one of Abby's pet lizards and Connor's pet dogs. They're a mongrel variety, hairless, so admittedly not worth much but they're pretty cute."

He sighed in frustration. "Fine, I warned you. All consequences are on you." He stormed off to his office. Dawn smirked, catching sight of Jess and Matt staring at her openly. She raised a challenging eyebrow, turning on her heel and walking away.

She wandered down to the gym, quickly changing clothes and putting on music before she began to stretch, launching into a simple dance routine that looked a lot more showy than it actually was. She felt her injured shoulder protesting but carried on, twirling and leaping before she landed on her knees and swept her head around, bending herself backwards until her head touched the floor with her back arched, her arms stretched out. The correct move now would be to sweep upright and flip, catching herself on her arms but her shoulder gave way and she crashed to floor, narrowly avoiding injury.

She hissed in pain, clamping her hand to her shoulder as she sat upright. This section of the gym was built for hand to hand, with smooth floors and mirrors lining the front wall. She stared into them now at the angry red lines that stretched from the right side of her neck and down across her throat before they dug in deeper, across her chest and shoulder, the ends of some invisible under her vest top with the others curved around her shoulder and arm. She traced them, her lip curling slightly as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She took a deep breath, returning to her previous position and repeating the move again and again until finally, she could perform it without fear of falling, and then the entire routine over and over. By the time she finished, she was sweating and in a lot of pain, and she knew she'd probably done more harm than good.

"That was impressive. I don't know many people who would put themselves through that amount of pain just to master a dance routine. However good it might have been."

Dawn glanced up, flushing as she saw Matt leaning against the doorway. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know you've probably just reinjured your shoulder quite a bit." He answered, coming in further while she scrambled to zip her jacket over herself. He frowned.

"You don't have to be ashamed of your scars." He told her. She raised an eyebrow.

"It's not the scars I'm worried about." She muttered, swinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Then what?"

"It's people's reactions to them." She answered, walking passed him to the showers. She took her time in there, allowing the hot water to run over the damaged muscles in an attempt to soothe them. She began to walk back to the lab she'd commandeered as her own but was distracted by Becker storming past her. "Becker?"

He didn't even slow, moving through the corridors. Dawn jogged to catch up with him, eventually finding him in a corridor with Matt and Jess just in time to hear him exclaim "Is it true you've ordered in non-lethal weapons?"

Dawn raised her eyebrows in surprise, biting her lip as they argued. "Why don't you just give the new weapons a chance? You might be pleasantly surprised!" Matt said exasperatedly. Becker ground his teeth.

"Dawn, would you tell him?!" he gestured. She hesitated. "Do not tell me you agree with this?" Becker asked incredulously.

She shrugged apologetically. "I'm all for lethal force when necessary Becker, but not all the creatures are dangerous. Imagine how many we could have got home if we'd have had the ability to daze them a little."

"Oh for… after everything you've lost, you're willing to put more lives at risk to save some dinosaurs?!"

"Becker, I've seen first hand the results of changing the timelines by accident. Killing these creatures increases the risk that that will happen again- I would _really_ rather that didn't happen." Dawn bit her lip. Becker looked angry and she took that moment to escape, retreating to the safety of her lab until it was time for the staff meeting. She listened, unable to help being impressed by the man in front of her and joining in the round of applause. As the crown dispersed, Matt approached her, Becker and Jess.

"Well?" he questioned, quirking an eyebrow. Dawn glanced at Becker.

"You got two things wrong." She said quietly. "Sarah could still wake up, and my father hasn't been confirmed dead either."

Matt looked surprised. "His file says-"

"His file is wrong." Becker said interrupted "He stepped through a past anomaly, so was presumed to have died there. But we haven't found a body."

Matt considered them for a moment. "Then we'll add him to the list of people the government is wrong about." He said, inclining his head. Dawn looked startled, but she gave him a nod of thanks and a small smile before making her way up to Lester's office.

"So?" Lester asked. Dawn gave a weak smile, sitting in front of his desk.

"He's good. So is Jess." She accepted.

"Why do I hear a but…?" Lester sighed.

"No new field members other than military, the only exception being me due to the fact I'm the only one with the necessary knowledge. So what happens when the others come back?" she questioned. Lester looked at her calmly.

"Let's concentrate on them being back first. That can come later. Now don't you have something to be doing?" he turned back to his paperwork in clear dismissal and Dawn left his office, still unhappy.

Slowly, Matt accepted her being on the field team as she proved her usefulness and Jess was happy not to be the youngest in the building. Dawn spent her days flying between lectures, anomaly alerts and her lab, where she was slowly reconstructing the prediction model- it was taking longer than she liked- as well as pouring over her mother's diary, deciphering every word and following up on any possible lead, no matter how insignificant it initially seemed.

"Dawn!" she sighed as she turned to face Jess, who even after several months seemed intent on becoming her friend no matter how much Dawn pushed her away.

"Hi Jess." She said politely, tipping her can of drink into a glass.

"Do you have your 3A20 files from the last anomaly? I need to file them…" Jess asked brightly.

"I left them on your desk." Dawn told her, beginning to walk away.

"Dawn? Can I ask you something?" Jess called after her. Dawn stopped, turning and nodding her agreement. "Have I done something to upset you?" Jess asked timidly, stepping closer. "I didn't mean to but you act like I have and I don't know what it could have been-"

"Jess." Dawn interrupted gently before the woman could start rambling too much. "You haven't done anything. I'm sorry I gave you that impression."

"Then… why do you act like you do?" Jess questioned, looking a little hurt. Dawn sighed.

"Jess, every person I have ever been close to has been hurt in some way. Or killed." She told her bluntly. "Literally everyone. I appreciate your friendliness, I really do, but trust me- it's _safer_ for you to steer clear of me where possible. It's safer for everyone."

She walked away, leaving Jess standing there in shock. She assumed Jess would do as she said, until a few weeks later an anomaly alert had gone up. "It's in the reservoir." Jess realised.

"Again?" Dawn groaned. They all looked at her in confusion. "Oh… before your times." Then she smiled as she remembered Jenny's bedraggled appearance after being pulled in. "You can both swim right?" she checked amusedly.

"Yeah…" both men nodded. As it turned out, it was a good thing they all could when a Liopleurodon decided to upend the boat they were in rather violently, sending them all flying in different directions to land in the reservoir. Dawn just managed to resist the urge to gasp as the cold water shocked her system, her wet clothes dragging her down. She toed off her heavy boots and wriggled out of the oversized jacket she'd had on over a vest top, glad it hadn't been her favourite one. She kicked hard, propelling herself to the surface and gulped in air as she broke the surface, treading water as she orientated herself. She'd drifted closer to the opposite side to where the team were- she could see Becker and Matt closer in that direction.

Becker spotted her first, giving her a questioning thumbs up. She gave him one back, before pointing to the side she was closest to. He nodded, so she began to swim in that direction, unwilling to stick around with an angry dinosaur in the water. "Dawn? Can you hear me?" Jess's voice crackled faintly through the earpiece she'd forgotten she was wearing.

"Jeez Jess, how waterproof are these things?" Dawn asked in surprise.

"_Just the ones you're wearing at the moment- normally they wouldn't be but since I knew you were going near water I gave you these ones_." Jess explained. "_Are you ok?_"

"I'm freezing, but I'm fine." Dawn confirmed. She finally reached the side and hauled herself out of the water, shivering violently. "Are the others ok?"

"_They're all fine- they're on their way to you now. Matt says to leave your channel open._"

Dawn sat on a concrete wall, squeezing the water from her hair which had now fallen from its' bun. She frowned- it was now a tangled mass that dripped uncomfortably over her. She worked on smoothing the worst of it out, running her fingers through it repeatedly to dislodge the clips and hair bands that had become knotted into it. She quickly became aware of a group of people watching her from close by- she'd ended up in a restricted area so they were behind the barrier.

They were whispering, a couple of them laughing and for a moment Dawn was confused. And then she realised what they were looking at.

She flushed, turning away and letting her hair all over her shoulder to hide the scars the best she could. "Damn girl! What the hell happened to you? You look like Frankenstein's bride!" one boy called out, causing his friends to hoot with laughter. Dawn felt embarrassment wash through her.

"_Dawn…_" Jess's uncertain voice came through her earpiece- Dawn had forgotten she could hear what was going on when the channel was open.

"It's fine Jess." She ground out. "They're idiots anyway- Frankenstein was the scientist, not the monster. When are the others getting here? I'm frozen."

"_Erm… any minute now._" Jess stammered. Dawn wrapped her arms around herself and daydreamed for a while, glancing up in relief when she heard the sound of engines. Becker and Matt hopped out, both in dry clothes.

"Oh I see. You can take time to dry off and change into something warm, never mind about me turning into a human snowman!" she called with a smile, but the effect was lost with her teeth chattering. Becker jogged over.

"We got changed on the way!" he defended, shrugging out of his jacket and wrapping it around her.

"Besides- there's no snow!" Matt added, passing her a hot drink. She rolled her eyes at him. "Drink it." he ordered. She did so, walking back to the car with them. They had to walk past the group, who all snickered as Dawn passed. Matt and Becker glared at them, assuming it was because of the girl's dishevelled appearance. She just flinched, ducking her head.

"Does the locking device even work underwater?" Becker wondered.

"Theoretically. But the controls for it won't." Dawn answered.

"Great."

"_Guys? Lester has ordered the three of you back to the ARC to be checked by the med team. The soldiers can deal with the anomaly." _Jess's voice came through. The men groaned and complained but Dawn was secretly glad. Once cleared, she went to the showers and stood under the water for a while, quickly realising that the swimming had damaged her shoulder all over again when she couldn't lift her arms to slip her hoodie on or brush out her hair. She swore.

"Dawn?" Jess appeared in the doorway. Dawn yelped, grabbing her hoodie and holding it in front of her. "Sorry!" Jess turned her back, obviously waiting for her to put it on. She tried but ended up simply crying out in pain. "Dawn?"

Jess turned around in concern, freezing when she saw the scars fully. Dawn felt herself flush in mortification. "The monsters' bride is about right, huh?"

Jess shook her head. "No Dawn. Those people were just… narrow minded, petty, ridiculous little people." She denied, coming closer. "Are you ok?"

Dawn hesitated, but realised there wasn't much point in hiding it from her. "The muscle tissue in my shoulder is weakened. I damaged it again when I was swimming- now I can't move it properly." She explained softly. Jess reached out for the hoodie.

"Let me help you?" she gently helped Dawn put it on, dropping her hands back to her lap when she had.

"Thank you." Dawn bit her lip. "Did you need me for something?"

Jess shook her head, reaching into her pocket. "I thought you could use this. It always makes me feel better."

She pulled out a chocolate bar and handed it to Dawn, who smiled widely, recognising the gesture for what it was. "Are you sure?" she asked Jess softly. She nodded vigorously. "Share it with me?" Dawn offered with a grin, breaking it in half. They sat and ate chocolate for a while, chatting about nothing in particular until a banging on the door interrupted them.

"Dawn, Jess, are you in there?" Matt's voice shouted out.

"We're here. You can come in." Dawn called. The door opened.

"We've been looking for the both of you!" He scolded. "Jess, the ADD is making funny noises."

"Oh no!" she jumped up, waving goodbye and running from the room, leaving Dawn with Matt.

"Did you want something?" she asked, picking up a brush and beginning to awkwardly comb through her hair with one hand. He frowned.

"You injured your shoulder again?"

"It just needs resting." Dawn assured him. "Sorry- no excuse to kick me off the team."

"I don't want to kick you off the team Dawn." He negated. She raised her eyebrows at him in the mirror as she struggled with a particularly stubborn knot.

"No?"

"_No._ I happen to think you're quite brilliant, especially considering your age." He stepped closer, clasping her wrist gently to stop her movements. "Let me."

Her eyebrows rose even higher but she relinquished her grip on the brush. "Then why don't you want me on the team? And don't deny it- I'm not stupid."

He parted off sections of her hair and began to brush through them gently. "Because you are so young. You're eighteen- you should be out enjoying your life, not chasing dinosaurs."

"I've been chasing dinosaurs since I was thirteen." Dawn pointed out. "It's a little late!"

"I know. Trust me, it's the only reason I haven't kicked up more of a fuss." Matt said.

"Matt… almost everyone I care about is on the other side of an anomaly. I couldn't walk away, even if I wanted to." Dawn said quietly. He paused in his actions, nodding.

"I know I'm not the team leader you'd like to see Dawn, but I'm going to do my best. I can only try, and hope that it's enough."

A few beats passed. "Well you're at least better than Captain Wilder." She said eventually. He grinned, recognising the reference from the files.

"Truce?" he offered. She nodded.

"Truce." She confirmed with a smile.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Thank you so much to PrimeWhoLockian for your review! (By the way, love the pen name!) X**_

Dawn was sat in her lab, pouring over a particularly interesting page in her mothers' diary when she heard the lockdown alarm go off… again. She sighed, wondering who had set it off this time before wandering out of her lab and locking it and making her way down to Jess. She stopped, however, when she saw the dracorex standing in front of her. "Ah…"

The creature swung its head around to look at her, hissing. She froze. "Would somebody mind telling me what on earth is going… on…?" Lester strode from the lift, trailing of in shock as he spotted the creature in front of him. Dawn shot him a smile.

"Never a dull moment!" she whispered cheerfully as Matt, Becker and the back up ran in.

"Stay there! Nice dragon! Down boy… sit!" Jess stammered.

"Actually it's a girl." Matt told her.

"I call her Aithusa." Dawn grinned. Becker chuckled. She reached into her pocket and drew out a packet of beef jerky, pulling out a piece and holding it out temptingly. The dracorex snatched it from her, gulping it down while Matt opened the door to Lester's office.

"Here princess." He coaxed, and shook the water enticingly.

"Purely as a matter of interest, what's it doing in here?" Lester inquired.

"We'll get to that later. C'mon." he tipped out the water. "There you go. Have a drink."

He slipped out, closing the door behind him. "Right." Lester said. "And there was nowhere else it could have gone?"

"I was improvising." Matt shrugged. Dawn giggled.

"Right." Lester nodded. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Um… guys? We have to get her back to the menagerie." She reminded them.

"Absolutely not. Last time you ended up taking the creature home." Lester said instantly. She pouted but obediently stayed out of the way. Matt leaned over.

"I'm introducing Becker to the EMD's later. What do you wanna bet he argues?" he murmured to her as they watched the man tranquilise the dracorex. She smiled.

"Oh, he will. Toy guns, I think he calls them."

"Don't be mean, you two." Jess scolded. Dawn and Matt exchanged a grin, and the girl couldn't help tag along to the gym with them. She watched silently as Jess and Matt tried to persuade him.

"You need to remember how many friends I've lost. I'm not going to risk any more lives playing around with pea shooters."

"I lost them too, Becker." Dawn said gently. "I believe in these as much as Matt does. They're good Becker, I promise."

Becker still wasn't convinced. "Ok. Try it." He offered. "I mean it. Shock me. If I think it's an effective weapon, I'll use it. If not… you back down."

"You really don't want me to do that Becker."

"Oh I really do." He disagreed. Matt loaded it, prompting a look of shock from Jess.

"Matt! You can't!" She admonished. "Will you stop being such a pair of kids!?"

Dawn smiled in amusement, earning her a disapproving look from the other woman. "He started it!" Matt said, which only caused Dawn to grin wider. "It's okay- he'll live. Probably."

"Will you just fire i- oof!" Becker was flung back as Matt shot. Jess ran over, while Dawn rolled her eyes as Matt continued backing up his point.

"Boys." She muttered, retreating to her lab. She vetoed going to the anomaly alert as she became more and more convinced the original translation of a page in her mothers' diary was wrong. She'd lost all track of time, until Jess came bolting into her lab.

"Dawn! You're not going to believe what came through the anomaly!" she cried breathlessly, excitement dancing in her eyes. The teenager frowned.

"What?" she questioned.

"Abby and Connor." Jess grinned. Dawn blinked.

"What?" she choked out.

"They came through! They're safe Dawn, they're home!" Jess beamed. Dawn gaped at her, beginning to smile.

"Really?"

"Really. Matt's going to bring them back to the ARC- want me to buzz you when they get here?"

Dawn nodded, biting her lip as Jess bounced out, spinning in her chair she felt emotion sweep through her. "They're home…" she whispered. It seemed an age before Jess contacted her and she walked in a daze to the hub, quickly spotting the two standing together in front of the ADD. She stopped, watching them, unable to believe they were there in front of her.

"Becker's told me everything. You two are like, _legends_ around here." Jess was telling them.

"Cheers mate." Connor threw at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I thought you were dead."

"You know Becker, it's not a crime to show emotion. In fact, it's actively encouraged amongst the human race." Dawn teased, her voice quiet but easily heard. Abby and Connor both spun, their faces lit up.

"Dawn!" they cried simultaneously. She grinned, rushing down towards them. Connor stepped forward and snatched her up first, hugging her fiercely in the air and her feet had barely touched the ground before Abby had flung her arms around her.

"It's so good to see you both." She told them, stepping back. Abby studied her as she and Connor chattered excitedly.

"I've never seen her this happy." She heard Jess comment. Abby frowned slightly- the bright teenager she remembered was gone and in her place was this woman, dressed in a black t-shirt with dark wash jeans and boots, her hair secured back in a bun. The only colour on her was a bracelet Abby remembered Stephen had gotten her- what had happened? But then something else struck her.

"Where's Sarah?" she asked suddenly. There was a silence, before Phillip Burton interrupted them. Dawn frowned, retreating backwards to stand near Lester.

"I still don't trust him…" she muttered to him.

"Neither do I." he said grimly.

"You denied Connor and Abby a place on the team!?" Dawn flew furiously into Lester's office. He raised an eyebrow.

"Good morning to you too Dawn." He said sarcastically.

"How could you? After all they've done your just going to side line them?" she demanded, ignoring him. He sighed.

"It's better this way, Dawn. Safer."

"Better for who? For your conscience! Without Abby and Connor the ARC probably wouldn't even exist! The ADD, the handhelds and the locking device wouldn't! You can't just cut them out!" she protested heatedly. He began to say something but she simply spoke over him and drowned him out with her rant. "I get that you and Becker feel guilty over their disappearance but you cannot ruin their lives because it'll make things easier for you! And apart from all that do you really think Burton is going to let the two of them just walk away with all their knowledge? He'll snap them up in a heart beat and then where will be? They've just spent a year living with dinosaurs- reacclimatising is going to be difficult enough without being thrown out of employment as well!"

"Dawn…" Lester began.

"No!" she cut him off. "I don't want to hear it James. Just think very, very carefully about what is truly right and what your conscience can really cope with."

And with that she flounced out, leaving him uncharacteristically speechless.

"Hi Abby!" she greeted, spotting the blonde woman in front of her.

"Hey Dawn." Abby smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "How's it going?"

"I'm one math equation away from throwing something across the room." She answered wryly. "How about you?"

"I… hold that thought." Abby dug out her ringing phone, smiling when she saw it was Connor. she clicked it onto speakerphone so Dawn could hear. "Found anything yet?"

"_Kind of. I, um, need you to see something._"

"You're serious? You've found a flat?" Abby asked in surprise

"That was quick, even for you Con." Dawn commented.

"_Oh, hi Dawn_." Conner winced. "_Ah… no, not exactly. Have any anomalies been detected today_?"

Abby and Dawn simultaneously glanced over towards Jess. "No." Abby answered. "Connor, what's going on?"

"_I need you to come down here._"

"Down where?" Abby asked.

"_The docks. The old warehouse by the power station._"

Dawn darted over to a nearby laptop and began to search the address. "Give us a minute." Abby told him down the phone.

"There." Dawn gestured to the screen. They both peered closer, exchanging a baffled glance.

"We got it." Abby said. "We're on our way."

Abby drove them to the building, parking close by. "What is Connor doing?" Dawn asked, glancing up at the structure.

"I have no idea." Abby sighed, leading them in.

"Hey." Connor greeted them.

"Hi…" Abby smiled.

"You remember Duncan, don't you?" Connor smiled sheepishly. They both raised their eyebrows, turning to look at the man.

"…Sure." Abby smiled bemusedly.

"Are you like his girlfriend now?" he asked Abby.

"Yeah…"

Connor lead them to the site where the body had been, confused over its disappearance. Dawn was looking around. "If it was a creature, it would make sense that it was here." She called over to them. "There's little foot traffic and this place has been shut down for a few years now. They only started the rejuvenation of this area a couple of weeks ago."

"Not even gonna ask how you know that." Connor said. She grinned, and then the voices of the returning builders came through.

"Connor! Get rid of them!" Abby hissed, grabbing Dawn out of habit and pushing her behind her, but they could only watch in growing trepidation as the builders ignored them, setting their fire anyway.

"No!" Dawn cried but it was too late and with a roar, the creature leapt from its' lair and snarled at them threateningly. "Oh great…" Dawn muttered as Connor yelled at them to run. Abby grabbed a pipe and lowered into a defensive stance, but before she needed to use it there was a honk and Matt shouted to them. "What's he doing here?"

"Who cares?" Duncan cried. They bolted towards the car, Dawn jumping between Duncan and Connor as the creature rose onto the bonnet.

"Bloody hell!" Dawn exclaimed quietly.

"Language!" Abby and Connor both snapped at her automatically. The creature scrambled up and climbed away.

"We have to find it!" Matt exclaimed. They all scrambled out the car, splitting up to search for it. Dawn rejoined the other three just as Matt decided they need to split up. "Connor, you come with me. Abby, you and Dawn take the perimeter and head north, we'll meet you at the other side."

They two girls hadn't been walking long when they suddenly head a large splash in the water and jogged over to the side just in time to see a large shape swimming away. "Always with the water!" Dawn groaned. Abby called it into Matt, but then spotted the boat. She tapped Dawn frantically, gesturing in that direction and they both rushed over there.

They scanned the water, until Abby spotted it ahead of them. "I have it! Twelve o'clock, my position!"

"Abby, turn back!" Matt ordered.

"What, and lose it again? No way." She ignored.

"Where'd it go?" Dawn realised, stepping forward slightly but not letting go of the rail.

"Ease up." Abby instructed. There was an eerie silence.

The boat abruptly rocked violently, sending them all off balance. "Not again…" Dawn muttered. They searched for the shape in the water again.

"The cargo ship. It's heading for the cargo ship!" Abby cried. Dawn followed her on, glancing around.

"I don't see it!" she said.

"Neither do I!"

They jogged up to the bridge on Matt's orders. "You need to abandon ship! There's a dangerous creature on board!" Abby said quickly to the captain while Dawn peered down to spot it just below them. "Abby!"

Abby joined her, glancing over. "Guys, I see it! Forward deck!"

They watched anxiously as first it cornered Matt, and then as Becker tasered it. They both sighed in relief. "He has a _heck_ of a sense of timing." Dawn sighed. Abby hummed in agreement.

"C'mon." they climbed down, jogging over to join Matt and Connor, watching the container overhead. Dawn frowned worriedly as there was a roar, followed by a bang.

"It's woken up and I think it's got a bit of a headache." Becker informed them.

"We'll tranq him again as soon as we get him on the truck." Abby assured him.

"And then what?" Dawn asked as there was another bang, ignoring the conversation of the two men beside them. "I'm not sure he and Aithusa are going to get on too well."

"Aithusa?" Abby questioned.

"The dracorex." she supplied, wincing as there was more noise from the container. "He is not a happy camper."

"Matt, its coming loose! The container is breaking free!" Becker radioed agitatedly. There was only time to step beck before the entire thing crashed down. they all flinched.

"Ooh…" Connor winced.

"Well he definitely has a headache now." Dawn quipped. They checked the container, only to find out the doors had burst open, a discovery that was punctuated by a shriek from the maze of containers beside them.

"Duncan!" Connor cried, lunging forward. Matt grabbed him. "I am not letting another friend die!" he hissed, breaking free and running at full speed towards the sound. Abby attempted to follow but this time, Matt succeeded in stopping her, before he turned to Dawn.

"Listen, patch into the security cameras around here and try to spot the creature. Your laptops in the car- radio the location, okay?" he asked. She nodded, darting towards the passenger seat where her bag lay.

"Jess could have done that." Abby pointed out to him as they began to fan out. Matt shot her a look.

"Jess is safe and sound back at the ARC."

Abby smiled. "Thank you." She murmured. "For protecting her." Matt nodded, their gazes meeting in understanding before they split up.

Dawn didn't go back the ARC after they managed to stop the creature, instead making her way to the hospital. "Hey Sarah." She greeted softly as she entered the room. "Sorry I haven't been around in a little while- things got kinda hectic. You'll never guess what happened. Becker went on a routine anomaly alert yesterday and literally twenty seconds before the team arrived Abby and Connor just stepped out!"

She smiled slightly, wishing for a response from the woman. "At least you'll have some new voices to talk to you- I imagine you're a bit bored of just Becker, James and I now. And yes, I know Lester comes and visits, however much he denies it."

Her smile faded as she remembered what had happened with him though. "He's being unreasonable at the moment though. Enforcing that stupid rule about military personnel only on the team. Poor Abby and Connor." she frowned. "Sometimes I'd really like to slap him."

Just then, there was a knock on the door and to Dawn's surprise Abby peeked around, closely followed by Connor. "Hi…!"

"Hey. Jess explained to us where we could find you." Abby said, entering the room fully. She sighed sadly when she saw her friend on the hospital bed. "Oh Sarah…"

"What's wrong with her exactly?" Connor questioned Dawn as they crossed closer, the man slipping his hand over his friends'.

"Um… a traumatic brain injury, that caused a comatose state." She recited. "Theoretically, she could wake up in five minutes. She may also never wake up. Personally, I think she's being stubborn and waiting until Danny arrives and orders her to."

They all smiled slightly at that. Abby sat down, glancing at Dawn. "I saw the menagerie earlier. They told me it used to be all grey concrete before you painted the walls and bought the creatures things to do."

Dawn shrugged. "It looked like a prison. It wasn't fair to them."

"They also told me that Rex is only a recent inhabitant?" Abby questioned. Dawn shrugged with a grin.

"After you disappeared, I looked after all your pets including Rex, Sid and Nancy. But after a while the rent stopped being payed so the landlords evicted you- Becker, Sarah and I cleared out your flats and put everything into storage. Some of the lizards went to new owners, some went to zoos and a few are currently living at my house. Including Sid and Nancy. But I figured you would want Rex back straight away, so I bought him in this morning." She explained. Their faces lit up.

"All our stuff was kept?" Abby questioned happily.

"Of course. It's in my loft- come and get it any time." Dawn shrugged.

"Than you Dawn." Connor said sincerely, then grinned slyly. "So… you left before it all kicked off earlier."

"Hm?"

"Abby and I are back on the team!" he crowed excitedly. Her eyes lit up.

"Seriously? That's great!" she beamed, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"So will we be working with you full time now?" Abby asked, a smile on her own face.

"No- part time, technically. I'm studying palaeontology at university." She explained.

"There's a surprise!" laughed Abby. She grinned.

"I know."

"Wait, what do you mean 'technically'?" Connor enquired. Dawn bit her lip coyly.

"I may not… _actually _attend the lectures." They both raised their eyebrows at her. "I'm bored stiff. I knew most of the stuff they're teaching before I was ten. But apparently they get annoyed when you don't actually attend lectures but still get the highest grades in the class."

"Imagine that." Abby commented dryly. "So your solution is…?"

"I hack into the attendance records and change my marks." Dawn shrugged. Abby and Connor looked at each other, and then burst out laughing.

"Of course you do!" Abby grinned.


	16. Chapter 16

The next day, the pair crossed into a part of the new ARC they hadn't visited yet- Dawn's labs. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the girl had music blasting as she bobbed her head and scribbled on one of the clear boards that filled the room. "Dawn?" Abby called.

"Hey Abby, Connor!" Dawn grabbed a remote and turned off the music while Abby studied the room she was in. It was unlike anything she'd seen here yet- there were three interconnected rooms in total. The one Abby was standing in, which a smaller room with a table in the centre, which was overflowing with paper and notes. Around the outside was a mixture of other desks and writing boards, all of which had paper and writing on. Beyond this room on the left there was one that looked much the same, except with the added addition one of the wall being a giant map of Great Britain, to which there was a variety of pictures stuck. And on the right there was another, empty room that had nothing in at all.

"This is… unusual." Connor observed. Dawn smiled.

"Very me." she agreed.

"What do you actually do in here?" Abby quizzed. Dawn grinned, grabbing their hands and tugging them into the empty room.

"Close your eyes." She instructed. The pair glanced at each other, but did as asked. There was a rustle of movement, and then some clicks. "Okay- open them."

They did so, and both gasped. Dawn had plunged the room into darkness. Now, they could see the writing that covered the walls, and around them was a golden projection they both recognised. "The prediction model…" Connor breathed. Dawn smiled.

"Technically, Prospero is in charge of any and all scientific research. So I had to hide this." She explained, walking in further. "If anyone asks, I use this room to dance to help clear my head when I need to think. Not that I let many people in here."

"It's amazing." Abby told her. "Is it finished?"

"No, not yet. But I'm close." Determination ran through her voice.

"So, what are the other rooms for then?" Connor asked her. She smiled.

"Deciphering my mothers diary, and then there's the project me and Sarah started." She switched the lights back on and urged them to follow her. "After you disappeared, I remembered that girl from a few years back, Taylor? She ran through an anomaly looking for her dog."

"I remember. Cutter and Stephen got stuck on the other side, then Cutter knocked out an actor." Connor grinned in remembrance.

"Well, Sarah and I started thinking that she can't have been the only one. You two, Danny, his brother and Taylor… my mother… if you had all managed to get stuck on the other side, surely other people have too. So we started looking for strange disappearances- at first we tried to cross check them between creature sightings and other disappearances along with deaths or injuries but it was too narrow of a search field. So we just looked for instances where people had just… vanished. And there are a lot." She gestured to the photos on the wall.

"All these people?" Abby gasped. Dawn shook her head.

"These are just the ones I'm researching at the moment. There are literally thousands over years and years. Sarah originally went back to the 1600's- she found ones she was relatively sure of even back then."

"It's incredible, Dawn. But… heart breaking." Abby traced the face of a little girl, sadness on her own features.

"Ultimately it doesn't mean much." Dawn said quietly. "We can't be certain any of them did go through an anomaly and even if we could be it's not like we could tell their families. But… maybe it will help one day, if they ever come back through an anomaly or if bodies are ever found. After all, if mum managed to survive for so long then maybe other people do too."

"Dawn." Abby caught her hands. "What you've done is amazing. _You're _amazing."

Dawn smiled shyly, prompting Abby to wrap her arms around her. "Your dad would be really proud of you." Connor told her.

"I hope so…"

Just then, the anomaly alert sounded. "That's your cue!" Dawn grinned.

"Aren't you coming?" Abby asked. She shook her head.

"I have an exam. Ooh, actually, I better go." she noticed. She kissed both their cheeks, rushing out. "Stay safe!" she called behind her.

Dawn spent several hours in her exam, taking only a quick break half way through before getting right back to it. It was only once she'd come out, had something to eat with some friends and began to walk to the station that she bothered to check her phone, which was full of various messages from the ARC. From what she could gather, someone had come through the anomaly, Connor had triggered some kind of alert at the ARC and Matt was currently needing help with some sort of incursion. She sighed.

_'__on my way 2 Matt.' _She text Becker, hurrying towards the station and jumping on the train. She tapped her foot as she waited, leaping off as soon as the doors opened and sprinted to the address Becker had sent her. She was about to start searching through the floors when she heard a commotion from the roof and so she rushed up there, easily spotting the creature attacking a small structure that she guessed Matt was in.

"Hey!" she yelled, whacking a pipe against the wall to attract its attention. It snarled at her. "Come on, over here!"

Matt appeared from the other side, yelling as well. The creature glanced between them, roaring. "Over here!" Matt hollered. It began to advance towards him, but a pretty brunette woman appeared and lassoed it with a practiced ease, prompting Matt do the same. The creature struggled and shrieked but could break free as they secured the wires, Dawn stepping backwards to join Matt. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you had an exam or something?"

"I did. Becker messaged me when I came out- I was only two train stops that way." She explained as they moved over to the woman.

"At this stage, we usually argue over how to cook it." She grinned.

"We?" Matt questioned.

"There were fifteen of us at the last count." She explained, watching the creature. "We only stay where there are no people."

"You travel through the anomalies?!" Dawn asked, ignoring Becker's voice as hope flared within her. The woman nodded in confirmation.

"Well look at that Dawn. You were right." Matt smiled at her. "Oh, this is Dawn by the way."

"Hi." The teenager greeted.

"Hello."

Just then, the creature broke free as one of the wires snapped and it lunged towards them with a snarl. Matt grabbed them both and forced them to the ground as the creature flew over their heads, screaming as it plunged off of the side. Slowly, they rose and peeked over the edge.

"Hey!" Matt called suddenly. Dawn looked up to see the woman had begun to sneak away. "Where are you going?"

"I helped you… now you help me. Let me go." she asked.

"I can't do that." Matt shook his head.

"Matt you can't keep her prisoner!" Dawn protested. He glanced at her.

"Yeah, you've already missed this argument several times over." he told her, turning back to the other woman. "I have to bring you in."

"Didn't you listen to me, don't you understand?!" she cried. "I have to find Ethan, I have to leave this time! Please!"

Matt looked indecisive. Then he nodded. "But I want to know everything first."

"Maybe on the way down?" Dawn suggested. "What's your name, by the way?"

"I'd like to know that too." Matt said dryly. she sighed.

"My name is Lady Emily Merchant." She told them. Dawn's eyes widened.

"Oh my god!"

"What?" they both chorused, looking at her strangely.

"You disappeared over a century ago!" Dawn exclaimed. Emily looked wary while Matt just raised his eyebrows.

"How could you know that?" He asked.

"Mine and Sarah's project. Yours was one of the names that came up- you and your friend… Charlotte something? You vanished from your home in London. Your husband was suspected of murdering you until- mm!" Matt had clamped his hand over her mouth.

"No spoilers for her." he said sternly. Emily looked shocked.

"They thought Henry killed me? He wasn't very nice but even he wouldn't do that."

They'd reached the ground floor at this point, and Abby came running in, forcing Emily to relay the same information. Abby was uncertain. "Abby, you can't lock her up! What if it were Danny or Connor or my father that ended up in the wrong time instead? Or even you?" Dawn beseeched, adding to Emily's and Matt's pleas.

"This better be a good idea." She accepted finally. Dawn grinned. "Becker…" Abby said warningly. Emily darted behind the wall.

"Hey."

"Hey." Matt greeted. "You three make sure the clean up happens. I'll look for the mystery woman."

"Yeah, you do that." Becker walked off with Abby and a confused Dawn, who was brushed off when she glanced at the blonde questioningly. She sighed.

"I'm away for a few hours and everything goes to hell…" she muttered irritably. She could sense a problem developing here…

Dawn was curled up in her lab, trying to make sense of a report she was reading when the anomaly alert went off but before she could even stand up her phone buzzed repeatedly, flashing up with three messages from Connor.

_IGNORE THE ALERT_

_GO TO ABBY!_

_Oh… She's in the menagerie_

Dawn frowned, but did as he asked, hunting her down exactly where he said she'd be. "Abby? What's wrong?"

"Phillip Burton is what's wrong!" she exploded. "He wants to kill the creatures!"

"Wait what!?" Dawn stood up in shock, watching Abby as she paced up and down.

"He thinks that there's little chance we'll ever get them back to their own time so it would be kinder to put them down! Like their dogs! How can he… I mean… what…?"

"Abby breathe!" Dawn told her urgently. She did so, sucking in a breath gratefully. "Better?" Abby nodded. "Look, Burton is a creep. There's no denying that. But Lester is as much in charge as he is, thankfully and he would never sign off on it!" she reasoned.

"He already did! It's why Phillip bought the idea to me." Abby said miserably. Dawn's eyes widened. Abby wandered over to stare at the mammoth, when her eyes widened. "I have an idea."

She swept of the desk to place the carrier on it, cajoling Rex into it. "Abby?" questioned Dawn. Abby quickly explained her plan. "If it works, it'll be brilliant." Dawn complimented worriedly.

"Thanks. Stay here- I'm gonna leave your involvement out of it, as much as possible. No point in us both losing our jobs." She darted out, leaving Dawn to glance behind her.

"Smuggling a mammoth out in secret. I'm officially bonkers." She sighed, flopping onto a seat and resting her chin in her hand and poking some apple through to Rex. "Thank God Sid and Nancy are at home."

Abby came back in, smiling at her grimly. "Jess is gonna help us. Can you get the tranq from the cupboard?"

They worked in relative silence until Jess suddenly spoke over the intercom and told them she wouldn't help. "You're a misinformed coward Jess." Dawn told her bitterly, disconnecting it.

"I didn't know you could disconnect those…" Abby mused, hiding her upset. Dawn raised a pointed eyebrow at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Right. I forgot who I was talking to."

"What are we going to do?" Dawn asked. Abby bit her lip.

"Can you hack into the security system?" she suggested.

"I can try." She sat in front of her laptop while Abby rushed around, trying to prepare everything she could. They both looked up when they heard the door open, Dawn's eyes widening when she saw Lester standing there.

"Abby you've got to stop this now." He ordered as soon as he'd stepped through the door. Abby looked at him in shock. "_Please_ don't make me call security. There's no chance whatsoever of you two getting those creatures out of here."

"How did you know?" Abby demanded.

"_Jess._" Dawn spat resentfully.

"Don't blame her- she was afraid of you getting hurt." He admonished gently.

"This is wrong." Abby said, shaking her head. "No human being in history has seen these creatures alive before us. We've been given the most amazing gift. And how do we repay that? That privilege? By killing them because they're _inconvenient_. What does that say about humans? About us? Lester… after all we've done here… is this how we're going to be remembered?"

She walked away from him, upset while Dawn just gazed at Lester accusingly. "Phillip Burton doesn't run the ARC." She said quietly. "He may be the name on the paperwork, he may be giving the money but every single person in this place looks to you before following an order. You need to think about what that really means."

She trailed after Abby into the mammoths' cage and stroked its trunk, smiling as he wrapped it around her playfully. "Be careful." Abby reminded her.

"Abby, I spent hours in here with him when you and Connor were away. He likes me."

Neither of them noticed that Lester was watching, or when he walked quickly away. Dawn stayed in there until Jess told Abby Phillip wanted to meet with her, at which point she followed her into the lab and listened in delight as he rescinded his previous policy. She and Abby beamed at each other, before Abby turned to Lester as he began to walk out.

"You did this, didn't you?!" she laughed, throwing her arms around him. He stepped back in surprise but Dawn saw the smile on his face.

"Oh! Steady on- that's the kind of thing that leads to office gossip!" he told her, no real bite to his voice.

"Sorry…" Abby grinned as Dawn ignored him, launching herself into his arms as well. Abby watched them happily. "Do you know what I think? Underneath it all, you're actually quite nice."

"Repeat that disgraceful slander and you'll be hearing from my lawyers." He said instantly, beginning to walk as Dawn giggled. "You know, that overfed mammoth of yours saved our lives once." He glanced at Dawn. "Would have been rude not to return the favour."

Abby wrapped an arm around Dawn's shoulders and sighed in relief. "Just another day at the office." Dawn murmured, flopping her head onto her shoulder.

"I think I need a new office." Abby groaned.

They broke apart and left the menagerie, wandering down the hub where Dawn walked over to Jess, leaving Abby a few steps behind her as she spoke to Connor. "Hi Jess."

"Dawn!" Jess's eyes widened. "I'm really sorry about telling on you to Lester but I just really didn't want you getting hurt and-"

"Jess!" Abby interrupted. She fell silent. "It's fine. We understand."

"Really?"

Dawn nodded. "Of course."

Jess smiled in relief. "Friends?"

"Friends." they both chimed at the same time, high fiving with a smile.

And then Abby's phone rang. "Hey Matt! What… you did what? Well, where is she?" she listened for a moment. "Oh for… no! We need to tell Lester. I'm aware of that! Fine. In the morning."

She closed her phone with a sigh. "Was that what I think it was?" Dawn questioned nervously. Abby nodded. "Wonderful…" she sighed. Jess just looked nonplussed.

Dawn sat in Lester's office between Abby and Matt, listening to Lester rant at them about Emily. "Matt? Am I boring you? When I'm reprimanding somebody for being totally unprofessional and stupid I expect them to at least pretend they're listening." He snapped.

"Emily thought if she came in she'd be locked up and treated like a freak. Was she wrong?" he challenged.

"Not locked up. Protected."

"For how long? For months, for years?"

"And your way was better, was it? Play games, keep secrets, leave her unsupervised and in danger. How do you suppose she feels now?!" he barked.

"We're wasting time here. I should be out there looking for them both. This Ethan guy is dangerous." Matt said calmly. The alert went off and they all rushed out, but then the alarm went off.

"False alarm?" suggested Jess in confusion. Dawn frowned.

"That's never happened before…" she pointed out. The alarm started again.

"What the hell is going on?" Lester asked irritably,

"We're picking up something, but the signal is very weak." Jess looked a little out of her depth, and Connor stepped in.

"Do you mind if I…?" he gestured to the console, typing something. "It's an anomaly, but it's unstable. The energy seems to be fluctuating - I've never seen that…"

"Interesting." Burton said thoughtfully. "We need more detailed information. Get the team down there." There was an awkward silence. "I'm sorry, James. That is, of course, your call."

"Well? Get the team down there." He ordered. "Except for you Dawn."

"Why?" she protested.

"Because I had a very interesting phone call with one of your professors this morning, who is quite confused as he's never met you but according to the computer system, you've been in every one of his lectures this year." He raised his eyebrow. Dawn looked at him innocently but obediently trailed after him to his office, remaining silent as Matt argued with him before being dismissed. "So…" Lester turned to her. "Explanation?"

It took a few hours but Dawn didn't reveal how she'd done it, not that that deterred Lester from punishing her. He banned her from the ARC for a few days, and since she genuinely didn't have any work to do or lectures to be in, she was stuck at home. '_Wat's happenin w Emily?_' she texted Matt. It seemed an age until he replied.

_'__Ethan kidnapped her. headin back now. Where r u?'_

She flopped onto the sofa, phone in hand. _'__ home. James mad me. need help?' _

There was no reply. _'__matt?'_

_'__Emily has a black box. Following her now. I'll patch u in to my channel- just STAY SILENT.' _He finally replied. She smiled, jumping up and into her car as she listened to the conversation between Matt and Lester.

_'__Cemetery doesn't sound good…' _she texted him. She sped up, driving far above the speed limit to get there and was suddenly insanely glad Becker had taught her to drive when she had to zip between two lorries. She pulled up and slammed on the brakes, jumping out and jogging into the cemetery. But she couldn't see anyone around. With a mental apology, she climbed up the steps of a memorial, stretching on tip toes to see over the expanse of space.

There was nobody. "Matt?" she called, tilting her head to listen. There was a silence, and running footsteps. She jumped from the memorial, beginning to wander around but stopped and yelped as Matt nearly ran smack into her around a corner. "Watch out!"

"Sorry!" he panted. "Come on- her box is this way!"

They took off. "_Is that Dawn?_" Lester questioned. She glanced at Matt, who winced.

"Yeah… I asked her to come."

"_Oh for… we'll talk about this later. The black box must be just ahead of you._"

"I can't see it!" Matt cried. Dawn nudged him, pointing to the stairs. "She's gotta be down here." They sprinted down there, until Matt skidded to a halt without warning. "Charlotte!"

"_Charlotte? Who's Charlotte_?" questioned Lester in exasperation.

"Cameron." Matt explained. "The dead woman at the theatre. Emily's friend. Her name was Charlotte Cameron."

"They disappeared at the same time." Dawn added, helping Matt open the door.

"EMILY?!" He called, rushing down. There was a stone coffin in a room and he rushed over to it.

"Oh no…" Dawn grimaced, shuddering as she pushed against it beside him. It slid off with some difficulty, but enough to show them the empty space. "She's not in here." Dawn groaned, spotting the urn and the necklace. But both their heads snapped up when they heard muffled moaning from elsewhere.

"She's here!" Matt followed the sound to the other small room. "Emily?!"

They both threw themselves at the lid, Dawn suppressing a small cry of pain as her shoulder protested at the movements. Emily sobbed even as he lifted her out, placing her on the floor and kneeling beside her.

"Hey hey hey, you're ok." He soothed, reaching out to take the ties off of her hands while Dawn undid the gag. "You're ok."

"You came looking for me?" she gasped out.

"Yeah…" he smiled slightly, as if that should have been obvious and she threw her arms around him tightly. Dawn grinned, hoping these two wouldn't be as much trouble as Becker and Jess.


	17. Chapter 17

Dawn sat curled up in the backseat of the car, half asleep as they drove to the anomaly site at some posh hotel a little way outside of London. She'd stayed up late the night before on Matt's orders, trying to finish the prediction model and was paying for it now. Although, she reflected vaguely, at least Connor was driving. If Becker had been there was little chance she'd have managed to get any sleep at all.

"Dawn, we're here." Abby leant back to nudge her awake. She moaned slightly but sat up, sweeping her fringe out of her face.

"Dawn, do me a favour and stay with Emily?" Matt called. She nodded, stumbling slightly over to the other car and sliding in the backseat.

"Hi Emily." She greeted sleepily.

"Hello Dawn. Why is Matt keeping me locked in a car?" Emily turned around in her chair. Dawn smiled.

"Because he's ever so slightly overprotective." She explained in amusement, rubbing her eyes. Emily huffed.

"Over a hundred and fifty years later and men still haven't changed." She muttered.

"Nope- but the woman certainly have." Dawn said cheerfully.

"Can I ask you something?" Emily said suddenly. Dawn nodded. "When I mentioned that I'd travelled with a group of other people, you got the strangest look on your face. Matt said it was hope. Why?"

Dawn paused- that hadn't been what she was expecting. "My father… he went through the anomalies over two years ago and never came back. I… I thought he was dead but now…"

"You're hoping he found a way to survive." Emily guessed. Dawn nodded. "What was his name? Not everyone I met I travelled with… maybe I've run into him."

"Nick." Dawn answered, hope flaring even stronger within her. "Nick Cutter."

Emily shook her head. "I'm sorry. It doesn't mean he hasn't survived though."

Dawn gave a sad smile. "Yeah…" She fought to keep her eyes open as they lapsed into silence, but quickly lost the fight and drifted into a light sleep. A small thud jerked her awake a little while later though and she shot upright to find Emily had gone. "Damn it!"

She scrambled out the car and took off after her, only to be interrupted by Connor over the coms. "_Dawn… don't freak out, ok?_"

She stiffened. "What is it?" she demanded.

"_Well, er… you see…"_

"Spit it out Connor!"

_"__Jenny's here!_" he blurted out. Dawn froze.

"_You know, we had planned that with a little more delicacy._" Abby's voice came through dryly.

"_Sorry."_

"You know what, it doesn't matter." Dawn said emotionlessly. "Good for her. Have either of you seen Emily?"

"_Dawn! You were supposed to be keeping an eye on her!" _Abby scolded.

"She snuck away! I'm working on it."

Dawn searched throughout the large house, until suddenly a furious Matt cut over the coms. "_Dawn, where the hell are you? I told you to stay with Emily!_"

"She ran off!" she defended.

"_I know! She nearly blurted out everything to Jenny's fiancé!_" he snapped. She stopped dead.

"Fiancé?"

There was a silence, then Matt sighed. _"__Abby and Connor didn't tell you. Jenny's wedding is tomorrow- that's why she's here."_

He waited for a reply, frowning slightly. "It must have slipped their minds." Dawn answered coolly.

"_Listen, I need to get back- I'll keep Emily with me._" he told her.

"Sure. I'll see you later." She closed the channel and sighed, retreating back to the car and withdrawing her tablet. She'd uploaded the files on missing people she needed to look at and so spent a few hours reading through them and pointedly refusing to acknowledge the fact that she was avoiding accidently running into Jenny.

And then she realised what had been bugging her since that morning.

Males hyaenodons would only attack something as un-meaty as humans if they had a good reason… like when they were guarding their families. "Shit!" she hissed, scrambling out of the car. She poked her head into the room Matt had told her they were, quickly spotting the group sitting around, Jenny and a man she guessed was her fiancé right in the middle of them. She jerked her head back, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath and slipping into the room.

"Con?! We may have a problem!" she called over to him. She saw Jenny jolt and snap her head around to look at her.

"I really hate it when you say that!" Connor told her, jumping up and crossing the room to her. She explained to him her reasoning, murmuring quietly so as not to alarm the others. His eyes widened. "Aw man! How did we miss that?"

"Because you weren't looking for it." She pointed out. "The problem is this hotel has guests all over, and staff. You would think a huge prehistoric animal prowling the halls would be noticed."

"Not if it's in the cellar still. Stay here." He crossed over to where he'd been sitting and grabbed his jacket, using it to hide his EMD as well.

"But-" Dawn started.

"No! Stay right here, Dawn, I mean it!" he ordered. "Matt keep her with you!"

Dawn sighed as he ran out, knowing Matt would do exactly that. "Next time I'll remember to bring a leash so he can just tie me to a post." She muttered tartly. Jenny was still staring at her with an open mouth.

"Is everything ok with him?" Matt asked. She shrugged.

"Connor can cope."

"Well, I'm glad you're here." Emily smiled at her, holding out a hand to her. "Matt and Abby just laughed when I asked them to explain the difference between a radio and the AAD."

"ADD, Em." Dawn smiled, taking the offered hand and crossing over to sit on the arm of her chair. Emily looked baffled.

"What's the difference?"

Dawn paused while Abby held back a giggle. "It's an acronym." She explained gently. "And it only picks up a certain time of radio frequency, whereas an actual radio can pick up all of them."

"Like a dog can hear different things to humans?" Emily tilted her head. Dawn grinned.

"Exactly."

"When you two have quite finished." Matt said pointedly. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's about that time." A recovered Jenny got to her feet, grabbing a bottle of champagne and skipping lightly over to Michael and pressing a kiss to his lips. "I shall see you tomorrow. Don't be late. Nightcap in my room?" she asked Abby, holding up the bottle. The blonde nodded with a smile, jumping up. "Would you like to come, Emily?"

"She stays with me." Matt said instantly. Jenny paused with her eyebrow raised.

"She stays with me? What is this, the 1800s?" she asked incredulously.

"Just think it's time we all turned in." he shrugged, not entirely comfortable with trusting the brunette as Abby and Connor seemed to.

"Gosh, he's Mr Fun, isn't he? Must be a laugh a minute on the team now." Jenny muttered sarcastically.

"Oh for Gods sake Matt- she's perfectly safe in the middle of a crowded hotel." Dawn told him in exasperation, raising her eyes to the ceiling for a moment. "Leave her alone."

"I'd love to come with you." Emily agreed, standing. Jenny smiled at her.

"Dawn?" she questioned hesitantly, hope wavering across her face. Dawn shook her head.

"I should help Connor, thank you." She declined quietly, rising and scurrying out the room. She heard footsteps behind her.

"Dawn!" Matt called. "Hey!" he pulled her to a stop. "What's the story between you and Jenny?"

"What makes you think there's a story?" she challenged. He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed, leaning against the wall before looking at him.

"Jenny and I knew each other when she was at the ARC. We were… close. But in the space of a few months I'd lost my godfather, learnt my mother was a raging psychopath and watched as my father decided to jump through an anomaly knowing full well he may never come back. I wasn't in the best of places and then Jenny announced seemingly out of the blue that she was leaving too." She said quietly, tiredness washing over her.

"You were angry at her." Matt leant beside her.

"Yeah. We argued, or rather I shouted at her before storming out. She tried to reach out a couple of times after but I always ignored her. I was… _furious _with her for leaving the ARC. And even once I'd begun to think a little more logically I just couldn't bring myself to contact her."

"I never took you for being particularly proud." Matt said in surprise. She gave a sad smile.

"I'm not usually. Just in this. And after that… so much happened with Abby and Connor and Sarah and I…. didn't react well. I did a fair amount that I'm not proud of and it was easier to not have to face her. To be honest, I didn't think I'd see her again- I know James has been updating her about the team here and then but I assumed it was to ease her own conscience. Although now I think about it, an anomaly at her wedding seems like the sort of joke the universe would play." She smiled, shaking her head slightly. She glanced at him. "Now can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When I first learnt there was going to be a new team leader I did a background check on you. My own one, outside the government ones." She began. He stiffened, almost imperceptibly. "And strangely enough, by coincidence I know someone who served with you in the army. Except when I mentioned you to him he'd never heard of you. In fact, before a little while ago nobody had. Matt Anderson just… didn't exist."

"Dawn…" he began warningly, but she continued regardless.

"I mean, the records are there but they're all faked. They're good, but they're fake." Her eyes snapped up to meet Matt's. "Who are you really?"

He stared at her, mind whirring. Of all the possibilities he'd considered, being challenged by an eighteen year old hadn't been one of them. "Let me get Emily." He decided. "You both need to hear this."

He darted off to get her, returning quickly with her in tow and leading them outside. "Sorry to drag you out so late, but I need to talk." He apologised to Emily. "Look, I know it sounds insane about somebody I've only met once…"

"What do you think Ethan's going to do? Whatever it is, you can trust us." Emily encouraged. Dawn nodded her agreement.

"OK. I didn't just fall into this job. I've been preparing for it my whole life. I knew about the anomalies and I made sure I was the perfect candidate." He admitted.

"So you lied to everyone?" Emily questioned. Dawn crossed her arms, looking at him warily.

"I had no choice. Something's going to happen with the anomalies…" he defended, trailing off.

"What's going to happen? Tell us, please." Emily pleaded.

He shook his head. "I can't say any more. I've told you too much already. I'm sorry."

"Matt, if lives are in danger we need to know!" Dawn protested. Emily was staring at him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Just know I would never, ever do anything to put you in any danger. Either of you."

"Matt…" Emily began but he shook his head slightly.

"Come on." He encouraged. Dawn pulled away from him.

"You haven't answered my question. Where did you come from, Matt. Who are you?"

He sighed, looking torn. "Matt you can tell us." Emily urged

"Matt, if there's one thing I've learnt it's that you can't do things like this alone. Everybody who's tried to deal with something to do with the anomalies by themselves hasn't succeeded. Let us help you with whatever you think is going to happen."

"Dawn, when I first arrived here one of the first things I was told was that if you didn't like me I shouldn't expect anyone else to either. That you had an uncanny way of instinctively knowing if you shouldn't trust someone, which I suspect is because your mother left you now you instinctively try to guess if anyone else is going to. But if you can look at me and tell me honestly that you honestly feel that about me then I will tell you everything. But I think we both know that you don't, in which case I ask that you simply trust me and keep my secret for now." he placed his hands on her shoulders, looking at her openly. She bit her lip.

"Okay. For now." She accepted reluctantly. He smiled.

"Great. Now come on, I'll take you back to your room." The pair were sharing, as each refused point blank to even consider sharing a room with Abby and Connor.

Dawn tossed and turned, until eventually in the early hours she gave up on sleep and as quietly as she could scribbled a note to Emily, dressing in the bathroom to avoid waking her before she slipped from the room. She wandered through the hotel, absently admiring the old décor until she stumbled across an old room with a piano in it, wide windows letting the light of sunrise stream in.

She smiled, crossing over to it quietly and sitting on the seat, running a simple scale to check the tuning. She glanced up behind her, unsure if anyone was around. It's stupid o'clock in the morning Dawn, she scolded herself. Every sensible person is asleep.

She began to play, softly at first but getting stronger as she gained confidence until she was singing along with the melody as well, peace settling over as she lost herself in the music.

_"__But the struggles make you stronger  
>And the changes make you wise<br>And happiness has its own way of takin' it's sweet time_

_No, life ain't always beautiful  
>But I know i'll be fine<br>Hey, life ain't always beautiful  
>But it's a beautiful ride<br>Oh what a beautiful ride."_

She let the notes trail off, holding her hands there for a moment before letting them fall to her lap. "You still sing beautifully."

Dawn gasped slightly in surprise, turning to see Jenny standing in the doorway, wearing a loose shift dress with her hair loosely braided over one shoulder. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I could ask you the same question." She came into the room a little further. Dawn shrugged.

"Couldn't."

"Oh. Well, that makes two of us." Jenny smiled slightly, sitting next to her on the bench.

"Why not? I thought you were supposed to be happy about being married." Dawn said, aiming for a snarky tone but not quite succeeding.

"I am. That doesn't stop me from being nervous." Jenny watched her carefully. "How long are we going to do this Dawn?" she asked quietly. "You were angry, I get that. But it's been over two years…"

"Just answer me one thing." Dawn said suddenly, turning towards her. Jenny looked at her questioningly. "Do you love him? Your fiancé? Properly love him, I mean?"

"Yes. Yes, very much." Jenny nodded. Dawn smiled slightly.

"Then I'm happy for you, Jenny." She told her quietly, getting up and walking away.

"Dawn…!" Jenny called after her but she kept walking, this time for Jenny's good rather than her own. Dawn knew she would never escape the ARC, could never escape it. She had too much to atone for on her mothers' behalf but maybe Jenny could. And she would only be able to if Dawn walked away.

Jenny watched her go with a sigh. She'd hoped there had been something to salvage from their broken relationship but apparently there was no chance of that. She walked back upstairs, all earlier thoughts of a relaxing walk gone. She smiled slightly when she spotted Abby sprawled across the bed, her body contorted into a strange position that didn't look at all comfortable. "Jen…?" she mumbled sleepily, blinking up at her in confusion.

"Hey Abs. Go back to sleep- we have a few hours yet."

She did so, and surprisingly so did Jenny until the blaring alarm dragged them into the land of the living. Abby groaned. "I should not have drunk so much last night."

"Tell me about it." Jenny grinned, remembering her earlier painkillers and shoving the packet towards the blonde. "Eat something first."

For a couple of hours it was a blur of hair dressers and mother-in-laws but eventually Jenny and Abby were left alone for a bit, each concentrating on their make up. "Abby? Can I ask you something? About…. About Dawn."

"Yeah, sure."

"She's… she's so different. Did I do that to her?" Jenny lowered the eye shadow, looking at Abby in the mirror.

"No. Well, not singularly anyway." She amended. "Jenny, she lost everyone. Danny, Connor and I were lost, Sarah was in hospital, you and Cutter were gone. And however much they may care for her, Becker and Lester aren't exactly talkative when needed. Dawn went through a lot and changing so much about herself was a way of coping with that. If you think it's bad at the moment, you should have seen her when Connor and I first came back. All I saw her wear for weeks was dark coloured t-shirts and jeans, boots with her hair in a bun."

Jenny blinked, pain crossing her face when she compared that to the eye popping outfits she'd seen the girl in occasionally. Then she remembered the jean skirt, tights and jacket she'd been wearing earlier. "She's better now…" she murmured absently. Abby nodded.

"It's normal, Jenny. I did too when I was younger, more than once. Went through an entire goth stage at one point."

Jenny nodded unsurely. "I'm worried about her. I know I have no right to be, but…"

"You have every right. She loves you, Jenny, even if she doesn't want to admit it. And I know you love her too." Abby smiled sympathetically at her.

"I might love her Abs but she doesn't want anything to do with me. She made that perfectly clear." Jenny sighed.

"Did she?" Abby raised her eyebrow knowingly. "Or did she run, because she got upset? We all know she does it. I've lost count of the number of times I've ended up searching around London for her."

Jenny hesitated, remembering the look in Dawn's eyes earlier but unable to decipher what it was. She moaned, dropping her head into her hands. "I don't know!"

They fell into silence, until there was a knock on the door and Abby rose to give Jenny some privacy as she got changed. She jogged downstairs, smiling at Emily and Matt who were talking quietly with each other. "Hey, have you seen Dawn?" she asked them. "Or Connor, for that matter?"

"Neither." Matt shook his head.

"Not since last night." Emily agreed. "Why, is something wrong?"

"Well, Connor's gone AWOL and Dawn needs to patch things up with Jenny, which I intend on forcing if I can find her." Abby frowned.

"Is Jenny Dawn's mother?" Emily asked abruptly. Abby choked in surprise.

"What?! No! Why would you think that?!"

Emily shrugged. "They look vaguely similar and the way they act reminds me of estranged family members."

Abby grinned as she realised Emily was right. "I've never noticed that before. No, Jenny only met Dawn a few of years ago although she's her mother in every way that counts, not that either of them would say it aloud at the moment."

"I see…" Emily said slowly, the look on her face making it fairly obvious she didn't. Abby left it to Matt to explain, darting off to find Dawn, who she eventually tracked down in one of the cars, fiddling with her tablet. "You need to fix things with Jenny." She said abruptly as she wrenched the door open and climbed in.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard. You're unhappy, she's unhappy. You didn't used to be. The solution is obvious." Abby shrugged casually.

"She has Michael now. She'll move on soon enough." Dawn turned back to her tablet.

"Do you really think that Dawn?" Abby questioned. Dawn sighed, twisting to face her fully.

"Abby, she has a real chance of getting out, of leaving all of this behind. Do you realise she's the only one in the entirety of the ARC history who's done that?" Dawn challenged.

"That doesn't mean leaving you behind Dawn! She can have both!"

"I'm the daughter of the man she used to love. All I'll be is a reminder." She shook her head, slumping back. Abby shook her head.

"You're wrong. None of us have ever defined you by your parentage Dawn, on either side. Yes, you're Cutter's daughter but that doesn't mean Jenny can't love you, the same way that you being Helen's daughter doesn't mean that none of us love you." She told her gently. Dawn looked torn. "Listen to me- whatever it is that you think you're doing to help her, you're wrong. You're both miserable without the other. Even Emily sees it and she saw you both together for the first time yesterday! Just go and talk with her, Dawn. Make it right."

Dawn nodded, sliding out the car and running upstairs, knocking on the door after only a moment's hesitation. "Come on in! Unless you're Connor or Michael, in which case stay out!" Jenny called. Dawn stepped in.

"Nope- just me." she said quietly. Jenny looked up, startled but with a wide smile.

"Hi!" she said in surprise.

"Hi." Dawn shyly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You look beautiful Jenny."

The woman blushed in surprise. "Thank you! Although I won't be going anyway if I can't get this damn dress zipped up!" she glared at the offending zip in the mirror, attempting to unnaturally contort her hand in order to secure it.

"May I…?" Dawn stepped forward hesitantly, hand outstretched. Jenny looked surprised but nodded, allowing her to take the material and wiggle it a bit so that the zip slid smoothly.

"I've been trying to do that for ten minutes." Jenny sighed. "Thank you."

Dawn gave a small smile, nibbling her lip nervously. "I meant what I said earlier. I'm really happy for you Jen."

Jenny smiled gently at her. "I know. I am too!" they both grinned at that. "I'd be even happier if you'd come?"

"I'm not exactly dressed for a wedding Jen. And Connor's still missing- considering he went to track down a hyaenodon family I should probably go and look for him." Dawn declined softly. "But I'll see you afterward maybe?"

"I'd like that." Jenny smiled, recognising the olive branch. There was a knock on the door.

"Jennifer? It's time." A man's voice came through.

"That's my cue." Jenny smoothed down her dress, glancing at Dawn. "How do I look?"

A small smile played across Dawn's lips. "Perfect."

Jenny beamed at. "Sure you won't come?"

Dawn shook her head. "Break a leg Jen." She said softly. She watched the woman walk out and the knot in her stomach had lessened just a little bit. Dawn sucked in a breath and held it for a moment, before she went to find Connor.

She'd been searching less than ten minutes when she heard the screams coming from the room where the wedding was being held and sprinted in that direction, skidding to a halt as she reached the door. "Two of them?!" she exclaimed disbelievingly, watching as the guests scattered. She glanced up, saw one of them attacking Matt, who was armed with only a shield. She raised her fingers to her lips, and let out a piercing whistle.

"Hey! Over here!" she called. It turned towards her, snarling and she felt relief rush through her as Matt scrambled out of the way. Then her eyes widened as she realised the creature was now approaching her. "Not my brightest idea ever…" she muttered, bolting away from it.

"Up here!" she glanced up to see Jenny's husband in front of her, gesturing for her to follow them up a set of stairs. She rushed up after him, glancing behind her to search for signs of a chase until she heard the yapping. The other man whimpered and pressed to the side, but Dawn froze when she saw another adult behind him.

"Watch out!" they attempted to go back down the stairs but it jumped down in front of them. Dawn fell back as the men scrambled back up once again, but her weakened shoulder gave way and she crashed to the floor, gasping as the creature advanced on her. Awkwardly, she tried to crawl back but her shoulder screamed at her- she must have landed on it badly. She cradled it against her as her back hit the wall, eyes wide.

"Hey!" Michael yelled at the creature as he came towards them. It turned its' head towards them and snarled, snapping at him but he merely kicked it back. The creature fell backwards and howled. "C'mon!" he urged Dawn, trying to help her up but waves of pain rushed through her from her shoulder and her legs buckled beneath her. The creature snarled as it prowled towards them.

"Go away!" Jenny was suddenly there with a lamp, and she hit the creature around the head angrily. Dawn watched as it topped over the banister and fell with a yowl, bringing up her other arm to cradle her damaged one. "Get away from my husband!"

"Actually, we're not married yet…" he pointed out a little unsteadily.

"Mere technicality." She shrugged. She dropped the lamp and hurried over to Dawn, dropping to her knees beside her. "Did it hurt you?"

Dawn shook her head. "Old injury." She explained breathlessly, pressing her heel of her hand to the worst area.

"Let me see…" Jenny attempted to pull her jacket down but Dawn shook her head violently, pulling away. "Honey I need to see it, to check it isn't too damaged. Unless you'd rather go to hospital?" she challenged, knowing full well she wouldn't. Dawn reluctantly dropped her arm and allowed the jacket to slip down, exposing the vest top underneath it which did nothing to hide the angry pink scars that marred her body. Jenny audibly gasped when she saw them, reaching out to gently trace them with her fingers. "What…?" she questioned.

"Future predator." Dawn felt the pain subsiding. "Same time as Sarah's injury…"

Anger flashed across Jenny's face. "Lester let you go on the rescue missions!?"

"I wanted to!" Dawn defended him, sitting up a little too quickly and gasping as pain shot through her shoulder. "Dammit!" she yelped. Jenny looked concerned. "Don't look so worried Jen. I damaged all the muscle- occasionally it protests and does this. It'll pass in a minute."

"Dawn? Jenny?" Abby's voice came drifting up towards them and Dawn hurriedly pulled her jacket back up over her. Jenny frowned, looking around to Michael to see if he'd noticed it too. But he was standing by the banister, staring down at the motionless creature with a strange expression on his face.

Abby appeared and Dawn clambered to her feet, hiding the pain she was in and they immediately started figuring out how to get the creatures back through the anomalies. Jenny ended up helping with one of the pups and lost track of Michael, until she found him standing by himself in an empty room. I have to tell him, she realised with a sinking feeling.

She approached him nervously, feeling slightly sick. "OK. I used to work for a secret Government agency. We'd track anomalies, which are, like, gateways in time to the past, the future, and sometimes, creatures could pass through them into our world. It's dangerous and sometimes fatal, in fact. There was a man that I was in love with who was badly injured. He's Dawn's father and was shot by his wife who travelled through the anomalies for years and had gone insane but then he went after her through one to prevent her from hurting anyone else but never came back." Michael hadn't said anything so she ploughed on, nerves making her ramble faster and faster. "Oh yes, and there's also a distinct possibility that I could have been somebody else in a completely different time line, called Claudia Brown who Cutter was in love with before but then the present changed and I became Jennifer Lewis, but that's even too bizarre for even _me_ to comprehend. So anyway, that's it, the whole truth. What do you think?" she looked at him nervously.

He looked at her. "So this… _other guy_. You're over him, right?"

She sighed in relief that he hadn't just condemned her. "Yes." She smiled. "I'm over him."

"Well, that's OK, then. And Dawn… she….?" He gestured, trying to work out how to phrase the question.

"She's the girl I always spoke about, yes. She's important to me. When he departed, Cutter left her in my care. I was supposed to look after her but she was so angry with me and I wanted a fresh start… so I abandoned her to someone else." Guilt swept through her. "I want her to be a part of my life though, and I want to be a part of hers and I _really _want the two of you to get to know each other because the pair of you are the most important people in my life."

He looked at her, considering. "We do have one problem, though." He said, and her stomach dropped. "The registrar's in no condition to marry anyone."

She grinned, and then realisation struck her. "I think I might be able to do something about that."

She caught his hand and pulled him from the room, quickly finding the others in the hallway. "I don't know Jess!" she heard Abby exclaim in exasperation. They were standing in a rough circle, Connor's phone held out in front of him.

"_C'mon guys! Lester is going to kill me if I can't think of one!_" an unfamiliar voice came through.

"Can't we just claim wolf attack?" Dawn asked.

"_I already used that twice!_"

"What's going on?" Jenny asked. They all looked up.

"Jenny! Jenny, you're a PR person! We need a cover story for the hyaenodons!" Connor explained excitedly. She thought for a moment.

"Genetically bred attack dogs used for cage fighting that escaped." She suggested.

"_Oh my God, you're brilliant! Thank you!_" the disembodied voice cried. "_This isn't even close to my job description, I should complain…_" she muttered. They all smirked.

"I didn't know the ARC had a union…" Connor smirked.

"_Oh shut up._"

There was a beep, and Connor looked at it. "She hung up on me!" he said indignantly. Jenny was frowning.

"Don't you have PR representative?"

"Not since you." Abby shrugged. Jenny blinked in surprise.

"Oh. Um… can I borrow somebodies phone?" she asked, remembering her original reason for joining them. Dawn raised an eyebrow but chucked her hers, grimacing when Jenny keyed in the code after only two attempts.

"I have to change that…" she muttered. Jenny scrolled through the contact until she found the number she was looking for and dialled it, raising the phone to her ear with a smile.

"_Dawn, tell me you didn't cause me anymore paperwork._" The familiar voice came over the line and Jenny grinned.

"I imagine she probably did, but I'm afraid I'm not entirely up to date with the protocols so I wouldn't know." She replied. There was a silence.

"_Jenny. Am I to assume this means the wedding was delayed?_" Lester questioned, but she caught the note of concern that ran through his voice.

"A minor setback. One that resulted in the loss of our registrar. Can you help?" she bit her lip.

"_Oh no. Absolutely not._" He immediately refuted.

"Oh, come on James. For me?" she entreated.

"Just say yes James, it'll save a lot of your time!" Dawn called out to him, grinning. He sighed.

"_Very well. But-_" Before he could continue Jenny let out a happy uncharacteristic squeal.

"Thank you!" she cried. Connor and Abby beamed.

"I'll get a webcam so you don't have to do it over the phone." Connor suggested. "Lester, ask Jess to help on your end."

Dawn did end up watching the wedding, tucked between Matt and Connor. "Don't get any ideas…" Connor murmured to her as Jenny hugged her family to a round of applause. She grinned, resting her head on his shoulder. They didn't stay for long after that, hugging Jenny goodbye and making apologies before heading back to the ARC. Before she could climb into Abby and Connor's car though, Matt caught Dawn and motioned for her to get into his.

"There's someone I want you to meet. Emily too." He explained. Dawn stuck with Emily, fetching tea with her before following her outside. But it only took a minute before she realised something was wrong. "He's gone." Matt said, grief raging through his voice. Emily glanced at Dawn.

"I'm so sorry. Who was he?"

"My father." Dawn felt sympathy rush through her and she stepped forward, curling her hand around Matt's in silent support.


	18. Chapter 18

Dawn yelped and giggled as Becker bolted down the corridor after her, pushing herself to run faster. "JESS! Help me!" she gasped out, laughing as she almost crashed into the brunette just beyond the entrance to the hub. Jess raised an eyebrow.

"With what?"

Her question was answered as a furious shout echoed through the ARC. "Dawn Cutter! Get back here!"

Jess looked at her. "Was that Becker?"

Dawn nodded frantically, practically dragging Jess backwards. "I may or may not have let it slip to a group of his soldiers that his first name is Hilary."

"Dawn!" admonished Jess, smirking in amusement. The girl giggled.

"Don't let him kill me!" she begged. A door behind her opened and she glanced back long enough to catch a glimpse of Lester standing there. "Hi James." She chirped, then ducked behind Jess as Becker entered.

"Don't hide behind Jess!" he scolded, attempting to step around her. But Dawn simply turned her with her.

"Why not? You like Jess, you won't hurt _her_!" she pointed out.

"Remind me again when this became a playground?" Lester questioned loudly. They all grinned.

"You mean it hasn't always been?" asked Dawn in a puzzled voice.

"Are you lot always like this?" a familiar voice asked. Dawn swung around, seeing the woman stood behind Lester for the first time.

"Jenny?!" she exclaimed in surprise. Jenny smiled at her, widening it as she turned to Becker.

"It's good to see you again Becker."

"You too ma'am." He nodded.

"Hello! I'm Jess, Jess Parker." Jess held out her hand.

"I'm Jenny. I think we spoke on the phone." Jenny grinned.

"What are you doing here Jenny?" Dawn interrupted. Lester exchanged a glance with her.

"I work here. Or at least I will on Monday." She answered. Everyone but Lester raised their eyebrows.

"What?" Dawn demanded.

"We need a PR representative, and hiring Jenny means we get to skip the whole 'dinosaurs exist' part." Lester explained, sounding bored.

"That's great!" Jess beamed. "Welcome back!"

"Congratulations Jenny." Becker nodded.

"Am I the only remembering that she left?!" Dawn interjected. Jenny stepped forward.

"Dawn, I'll be strictly PR. No creatures, I won't be on the team. I'll just deal with reporters and the cover stories." She said softly. Anger flashed across Dawn's face but she nodded tightly, walking away.

"Dawn! Dawn!" called Jenny, jogging after her. She caught the girl's arm, forcing her to a stop. "Hey! Will you stop?"

"What do you want Jenny?" Dawn demanded.

"Why are you so angry?" Jenny enquired in confusion, her tone gentle.

"Why does it matter?" Dawn asked flatly, turning to walk away again.

"Dawn!" Jenny wrapped her fingers carefully around her wrist and the teenager sighed.

"Why on earth would you come back here Jen?" she questioned quietly, without looking around her at her. "You were the only one who got out, why would you come back?"

"I thought you didn't want to me to leave in the first place?" Jenny pointed out, becoming more and more bemused by the second.

"I didn't. It doesn't mean I wanted you to come back."

"Oh, thanks."

"I didn't mean it like that." Dawn sighed, finally turning to face her. "Did you know that part of the soldiers contracts is that even when they've left, they can still be recalled at anytime in case of an emergency? That the scientists have the same clause in theirs? Nobody escapes this place, except for you and now you've willingly come back?"

"Dawn, you love it the ARC. Why would you want to leave?" Jenny asked.

"I don't. But I would've preferred a choice." Dawn answered quietly. "But that's not the point Jen. What does Michael even say about this?"

"It was his idea actually." Jenny leant against the wall, folding her arms. "After the wedding he saw how much I'd missed you all, and how well I'd fit back into the team even if it was only for a little while. My contract finished a few weeks ago so…"

She shrugged. Dawn nodded. "Okay." She whispered, moving away up the corridor and vanishing around the corner, knowing the older brunette wouldn't be able to follow her through the maze of hallways when she was so new and she jogged down to the menagerie as fast as she could.

"Abby?" she called.

"Here!" came the muffled answer. Dawn waited until the blonde had surfaced, with Connor in tow, both looking slightly mussed. "Hey. What's up?"

"Jenny's back." Dawn told them, looking slightly sick. "Tell me you weren't doing what I think you were doing because that is seriously gross!"

"Wait, did you just say Jenny's back?!" Abby questioned. Dawn nodded.

"She's downstairs with Lester. Back to her old job." She said bitterly. Abby and Connor glanced at each other.

"She left…" Connor said slowly. Dawn nodded.

"I'm aware."

They glanced at each other again, having a silent conversation until Abby nodded. "I'll be back in a minute." She told Dawn, vanishing out of the room. Connor studied her.

"Are you ok?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I'll let you know." She pushed herself of the table and left the ARC, heading to the hospital to see Sarah, flopping down beside her bed.

"Hey Sarah." She filled her in on the events of the last few days, smirking as she recalled Becker and Jess. "Honestly, Jess is head over heels in love with the man and he loves her too, not that he would ever admit it of course. They're almost as bad as Connor and Abby were." Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Maybe I should lock them in a room. Not sure it would do much good but there's always the option of shoving them both through an anomaly if it fails." Dawn grinned. Then her phone buzzed.

_'__Anomaly alert- pick u up on the way. Where r u?' _Becker had sent. She sighed, typing out a reply before leaning over to kiss Sarah on the cheek.

"I gotta go- I'll be back when I can." She walked to the corner she'd told Becker to meet her at, jumping in the back of the black 4x4 that drew up. Abby was in the front seat next to Becker Connor next to Dawn. "Where we heading?"

"Some old prison." Connor answered. They drew up and were greeted by an upset man rambling about a missing person.

"Deal with him." Becker instructed Dawn quietly. She sat the man down, calming him and coaxing the details out of him.

"Is there anyway this man may have slipped out and you just… didn't see him?" she asked him gently. He shook his head.

"It's a _prison cell_." He stressed.

"Okay. Come with me." she led him upstairs.

"Guy in a locked room, vanishes into thin air." She told Abby and Becker, before turning to the man. "Which cell?"

"That one." He gestured to it and Abby and Dawn stepped inside.

"No blood." Dawn noted.

"No creature." Abby looked at the ceiling. "There's no way in or out of here other than the door."

"The locked, prison door." Dawn glanced at it. Abby groaned.

"Good thing Jenny's back- this could be hard to explain." She muttered, dragging Dawn out again and down to Connor. Dawn stayed silent as Connor tested his dating advice, sad as she realised that meant Emily might be going home.

That was quickly broken when a terror bird came through, its piercing cry shattering the relative peace of the prison. "Get back!" Becker yelled.

"Maintain a low charge. Let's try and scare it back through." Abby instructed. They did so, firing shots until it ran back through. Becker ground his teeth, looking at Connor.

"Now, if that's what I think it was, then your calculator is only, what, a few million years out?" He glared at Connor. "Jess, we're going to need backup down here right now."

"_I'll get right on it, Becker._" She answered. Dawn looked at Connor sympathetically.

"You'll get it Con." She encouraged. He smiled, a little sadly.

"Yeah..."

They stood around, EMD's trained on the anomaly as Connor fiddled with the locking mechanism, until Jess radioed through with the information that Ethan had a way to track anomalies. "Ethan could be armed, you three stay down here."

A shriek echoed from somewhere in the prison, as if to punctuate his words. "Connor, Dawn, stay with the anomaly. Abby, you're with me." Becker ordered. Connor swallowed, but he and Dawn obediently raised their EMD's.

"You know, I'm beginning to wish it had led to Victorian times." Dawn muttered. The soldiers had been stationed outside and around the prison, leaving Dawn to watch the anomaly as Connor freaked out over the anomaly.

"I don't understand…" he muttered. Dawn was watching the anomaly.

"Maybe there's a conflicting magnetic field…" she suggested musingly.

Connor hummed. "It wouldn't explain the dating problem though."

"Con, I hate to say it but maybe your device just doesn't work?" she pointed out. He shook his head.

"It works! I know it does…" Matt walked in a Connor explained what was happening.

"Connor, is there anything to indicate that someone might have manipulated this anomaly, like interfered with it?" Matt asked. Dawn's eyes snapped to him.

"Interfering, how? There was nobody in the room when we arrived, if that's what you mean." Connor tilted his head in puzzlement. Before they could do anything else, the terror bird shrieked from behind them.

"Not again!" Abby muttered. "Don't shoot! I think it wants to go through."

It did so, with a few final cries. "Becker, check for anomalies, we've got an incursion." Matt ordered.

"That was the same bird…" exclaimed Abby. Dawn nodded in agreement.

"Really?" Questioned Connor.

"Yeah. A scar."

"Well, that would mean the anomaly you saw must be part of this one." Connor stammered excitedly.

"But how does that work?" Matt enquired irritably. The anomaly flashed again, attracting their attention as a squawk echoed. "Move, it's coming back through!"

Matt shot as soon as the shape was vaguely visible, and it fell to the floor. "That's not a creature…" Dawn pointed out.

They all stepped closer, Dawn's eyes widening as she recognised the chequered shirt. "Oh my God…" she whispered. Abby and Connor knelt down, rolling the man over so his face was visible.

"Danny!" they breathed.

"Becker, get down here!" Dawn ordered excitedly. It took him only minutes, and his eyes widened as he took in the form on the floor.

"… Well it's about time!" he grinned. He and Connor dragged him to the wall.

"Danny, it's Abby, can you hear me? Come on, you're back." She coaxed him, while Dawn knelt by his feet worriedly.

"I can't believe you shot him." Connor said to Matt. "He's been away a year and he finally makes it back and you just…" he made a popping sound.

"Sorry." Matt shrugged. "He'll be OK, it was on its lowest setting."

"Danny?" Abby questioned. Becker finally got fed up with him.

"Come on, Quinn, get up, stop faking." He dropped his arm. Danny panted.

"Becker. Becker." He groaned. He looked up to Abby. "Wow, Becker, you're much cuter than I remember."

Dawn burst into giggles, as Danny drew Abby into a tight hug before looking around, groaning as he did so. "Oh God."

"Took you long enough!" Dawn beamed. He reached for her and wrapped his arms around her, laughing slightly before turning to Connor.

"All right, sunshine?" Connor grinned. "Come here." Danny cried out in pain. "Sorry."

"God! What was that?!" Danny asked.

"Matt shot you." Explained Becker.

"Yeah?"

"Matt likes to shoot people, Danny." Becker smirked minusculely. Matt came into view and saluted mockingly.

"So you'll be Matt, then?" Danny grinned.

"Matt Anderson, sorry, mate. You'll be OK in a couple of hours." He apologised.

"I'm really back, aren't I? I never thought I'd see you again." Danny grinned.

"We waited for you. What happened?" asked Abby.

"Where were you?" Connor added.

"Well, you know, here and there. Mostly through there." He gestured to the anomaly.

"Look, guys, Ethan could show up any minute." Matt bought them back to earth. "Abby and Dawn, take Danny to the ARC. Connor, try to lock that thing. Becker, come with me."

Danny looked enquiringly at all of them. "Oh, it's a long story, we're kind of in the middle of something serious." Connor explained, somewhat cheerfully.

"So nothing changes, then?" Danny grinned as the girls hoisted him to his feet and leant him against the wall.

"Careful, don't move too quickly." Abby cautioned.

"So did you two end up, um? You know-" he whistled, glancing between her and Connor. Dawn hid a grin.

"It took them long enough!" she whispered to him.

"Ethan's in the building." Matt announced as he came in. "Don't move Danny till I say. Whatever happens, we can't let Ethan near that anomaly."

"Matt! Ethan's using radio frequencies to locate the anomalies, right?" Connor called out to him.

"Yeah."

"Then we can tell exactly where he is." he grinned.

"How?" Matt questioned.

"Oh!" Dawn realised, her eyes lighting up. She and Connor exchanged a bright smile.

"Go out, and listen!" Dawn instructed. Abby and Matt exchanged a confused glance but did as she said.

"If I could just…" Connor mumbled. "All right, stand by. Here goes."

They listened with a grin at the screeching feedback. "Brilliant!" grinned Dawn as she scrambled up. Connor grabbed his gun, remembering Danny at the last minute.

"Oh, are you going to be OK?" he enquired. Danny nodded.

"Do your thing." He encouraged.

"It's good to have you back." Connor slapped his chest while Dawn blew him a kiss and both ran out, joining the others.

"Connor, Abby and Dawn, cover the ground floor." Becker ordered. They spread out slightly, listening for movement until a shot rang out and they all instinctively ducked.

"Guys, take cover!"

Dawn scrambled into an open doorway, watching fearfully as Connor ducked behind a metal grille. "No you idiot! That won't stop a bullet!" she hissed. There were more shots, but Connor risked bolting across the open space to suck into a doorway not far from Dawn.

And then things got worse when the terror bird reappeared, angered over the loud shots.

"You three, take the bird!" Matt called as he and Becker legged it up the stairs. They jogged in the direction it had gone, but it wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"For a huge freaking bird, it's good at hiding." Dawn commented.

"This would be easier without the multiple anomalies." Abby muttered. They could hear it, and Dawn pressed herself to the wall beside Abby as Connor counted.

"OK, on three." He whispered. "One, two-"

Dawn frowned as they both swung their EMD's and then stopped, but got an explanation when she caught a glimpse of Danny. "It's in here. Let me introduce you to Molly."

Dawn giggled. "Molly?" Abby questioned.

"Hang on… You named your stick?" Connor asked.

"Listen, it was just me and those terror birds for six months. Believe me, you start naming things." Danny explained. They crept through the cellar, searching for the bird until Abby cried out. Dawn swung around in time to see her hit the floor with an 'oof' while Connor rushed over to her, concern written on his features.

"Abby?" she questioned in a whisper. The blonde gave her a thumbs up, gasping for breath and Dawn relaxed slightly, scanning for where the bird had gone and instead finding Danny standing there, 'Molly' in hand.

"Oi, big bird!" he hollered. It ran at him, and with a few well placed hits he knocked it back through the anomaly before leaning the stick on his shoulder, looking very satisfied with himself.

There were shouts from elsewhere that sounded like Becker, and Dawn's eyes widened. "We need to help them!"

"Agreed." They ran, Dawn jogging up the stairs ahead of the others, not seeing the gun in her face till the last second. She gasped, jerking back into Danny who caught her.

"Woah, OK." He stepped back, pushing Dawn behind him slightly. "You're all right. Just stay there..." he murmured, staring at the man. He gazed back, uncertainty on both their faces. Dawn's gaze flickered between them.

"Danny…?" Ethan whispered in shock. Dawn's eyes widened as Danny stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him, astonishment still written on his face.

"Patrick…" Dawn heard him murmur and understanding flashed through her.

"Oh my God…" she breathed.

"Patrick? It's all right, it's all right." Danny murmured as Ethan- _Patrick_- tried to fight him off.

"It's his brother." Abby realised. She and Dawn exchanged a glance, the latter biting her lip worriedly.

Dawn stood with a brooding Danny in the hub, leaning next to him on the railing in silence. "I'm sorry about your mum." He said suddenly, knowing Lester wouldn't hide it from her. She looked at him.

"And I'm sorry about your brother." She said softly. He grimaced.

"He's really done all those things?" he questioned in a murmur. Dawn nodded.

"Yeah…"

Danny sighed, ducking his head. "Well look at what the tide washed in." a teasing voice came from behind them. Danny's face lit up.

"Jennifer Lewis, there's a face I wasn't expecting to see!" he beamed, engulfing her in a giant hug that lifted her off her feet. Dawn grinned.

"It's really good to see you Danny." Jenny smiled.

"You too."

"Danny!" a voice came from behind them. Dawn looked around with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh great." She muttered. Danny shot her a questioning glance but shook the offered hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Phillip Burton. My company were invited by the government to come and help with the ARC operation. James Lester tells me you saw Helen Cutter die."

"Yeah." Danny regarded him warily while Dawn crossed her arms.

"Did you kill her? I imagine you may not have had much choice." Phillip asked bluntly.

"Well, strictly speaking it was a combination between a raptor and a steep cliff that finally finished her off but um… Did you know her?" Danny asked.

"No. Although I've heard a lot about her." Phillip glanced at Dawn.

"It just your name was written all over a document that she had with her." Danny spoke over him. Dawn straightened, exchanging a look with Jenny.

"Really? Interesting."

"Yeah."

"In what context?" he enquired.

"It's a list of questions about anomalies. Like your opinion mattered to her." Danny watched him suspiciously.

"At the risk of sounding conceited, my opinion on a range of issues matters to a lot of important people, especially other scientists." Burton said.

"It's just, anomalies aren't just any old issue, are they?" Danny challenged.

"Helen Cutter-"

"And Helen Cutter isn't just any old scientist." Danny said.

"-was an unbalanced individual."

"Hey! That's still my mother!" Dawn protested angrily. Burton ignored her although Danny shot her an apologetic look.

"Who knows what she was thinking?" Burton continued. Danny snorted softly. "I trust you're being well looked after and if there's anything, you know, I can get you anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"You can speak to him now." Lester interrupted. Danny nodded.

"Excuse me."

"Of course."

Danny ruffled Dawn's hair as he passed, winking at Jenny. The older brunette drew Dawn away before she could turn to Burton.

"I know you don't like him but he unfortunately controls quite a lot around here." She murmured.

"He's a slime ball. He makes my skin crawl." Dawn muttered. Jenny looked at her in concern.

"How much on a scale of one to ten, one being not at all and ten being Oliver Leek?" She asked.

"Nine." Dawn answered after considering it for a second, glancing at her. "You believe me?"

"Of course." Jenny sounded as if that should have been obvious. "The question is what to do about it."

"There's nothing we can do." Dawn sighed as they crossed into her lab. "He has everyone in his back pocket. He can do no wrong."

"There must be something! _Someone_." Jenny drummed her fingers. Dawn regarded her for a long moment.

"Matt and Abby feel the same." She said quietly. "Lester, Jess and Becker don't like him either, but they don't suspect him although I imagine the boys could be persuaded."

Jenny gave her a nod. "Then maybe we can do something."

Before Dawn could answer, an alarm blared. "That's the intruder alarm." Dawn stood, rushing out with Jenny close behind her. "Jess, what's going on?" she asked urgently.

"_Ethan escaped_!" Dawn rushed down, almost bumping into Matt.

"He's gone- he took Emily with him. Oh, and Becker got hit by an EMD." He spun her around, heading towards the lifts instead.

"Again? And where are we going?"

"Back to the prison!"

They rushed into the prison, only to find that Patrick had gone and Emily had dealt rather competently with the terror bird. "Nice." Danny complimented. "You said she was good."

Emily smiled, a little unsteadily while Dawn quickly unlocked her. "Are you ok?" she asked. Emily nodded.

"Fine, thank you."

Dawn studied her, unconvinced but then heard what Matt was saying. "You're going to go after him?"

Danny nodded. "I can't risk him going through to another human time. I won't leave him alone." He glanced at Dawn with a raised eyebrow, a silent question in his eyes. She nodded slightly. "Look, Dawn trusts you, so I will too. Philip Burton is connected to Helen Cutter. They knew each other and he lied to me about it. Something to do with anomaly research. Will you let the others know that Burton is not to be trusted?"

"Look, you go after your brother, I'll take care of this." Matt promised. Danny nodded.

"Come here you." He reached out to Dawn, who slipped her arms around his waist.

"I'm going to miss you." She murmured.

"I'll come back, as soon as I can. I promise." He hugged her back tightly. "Tell Sarah… tell her… oh, it doesn't matter. I think she'll know."

He released her and she stepped back closer to Matt, who rested a hand on her shoulder. "Danny?" Emily called out. He turned, and she chucked the stick at him. "Good luck."

He smiled. "Say goodbye to Abby and Connor for me, will you? And, oi- I've not forgotten that you shot me. I'll get you back for that one day."

He stepped through with one last glance, and Dawn locked the anomaly behind him.

She stepped back sadly, only half listening to the conversation behind her. "I thought perhaps I would tell you I would stay if you asked me to. I'd let this close. That would be the end of it. But you've got this immense thing you have to do. I don't belong here. And neither do you. You came through a gateway of your own, didn't you? From where? The future?" Emily asked Matt. Dawn looked at him in surprise. He glanced between them, then nodded slowly.

"Everything there is either dead or dying. We exist underground because the surface of the planet can't sustain life any more. It's sterile because of something mankind did. We destroyed it." He answered, pain flashing across his features.

"What did we do?" Emily questioned.

"I don't know yet. A few of us have been sent back to different times to try to prevent it. My father as well."

"And this has got to do with the anomalies?" Emily asked. Dawn bit her lip.

"My mother always said it was the work at the ARC that caused the future. She said that my father did something." She remembered.

"Something that interferes with them?" Emily guessed.

"Someone. Someone interferes with them. Unless I stop him, that's it. The end of all life on this planet."

"Unless we stop him." Dawn said. He looked at her. "You're not in this alone Matt."

He smiled at her slightly. "_We_ will stop him." He turned back to Emily. "But you have to go. I can't let anything else matter any more."

She looked devastated, but nodded and smiled at him. Dawn looked at him disbelievingly. "Em, would you excuse as just a moment?" she grabbed his arm and dragged him away. "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded in a whisper.

"She's a distraction! And she doesn't belong here, Dawn- she needs to go home."

"Oh for… don't be ridiculous. Matt, she loves you and you love her!" Dawn hissed. He shook his head.

"You're young enough to be idealistic still Dawn. Sometimes love isn't enough."

"You don't think I know that? My father loved my mother, she still left and became insane. He loved Claudia Brown and Jenny loved him and now none of them have the other. Danny loves Sarah and she loves him back but he still stepped through that anomaly and she's still lying in a hospital bed. Abby loves her brother but that didn't stop the problems he caused and now she loves Connor but he still worships Phillip. I'm well aware that love doesn't fix everything, Matt, I stopped believing in fairy tales a _very_ long time ago. But love will stop Emily from stepping through that anomaly and it will make you just a little happy. Yes, you should still complete your mission but why should you have to do it alone?" She ranted. He blinked, not having seen this version of her before.

"I don't..." he glanced at Emily, torn.

"She belongs here Matt. Maybe not completely but that can be improved. She doesn't want to go, she wants you to stop her. Just do it!" Dawn pleaded. "Do you know how many regrets I've seen anomalies cause? Don't be another one, just let her in."

He glanced from her to Emily, who was watching them with a tilted head. He stepped towards her uncertainly, but his voice was strong when he quietly asked "Don't go."

"What?" she questioned incredulously.

"Don't go. Stay. I want you to stay." He told her, more strongly now. She blinked, a smile beginning to grow.

"Really? You won't regret it?" she stepped forward. He shook his head.

"Never."

She threw her arms around his neck, beaming at Dawn and mouthing a thank you at her. Dawn grinned, blowing a kiss before slipping from the room to give them some privacy.

She ended up back at the ARC, and had only been in her lab for a few minutes when her computer beeped to signal it had finished running the simulations she had fed into it a few days before. She skipped over to the printer, reading the results it spewed out and becoming paler and paler. "CONNOR!" She bolted down to his lab, banging on the door insistently until he unlocked it.

"Dawn what the heck is wrong?" he frowned.

"The anomalies." She panted, pushing past him into the lab. He raised a questioning eyebrow so she explained further once she'd caught her breath. "The prediction model is basically finished, it can be used so I used it to run models through the computer. The anomalies, Connor, they're not going to stop. They're all going to open at the same time, everywhere, all over the world."

"What?" He dragged her over to the board, showed her the equations he was working on. "They've been growing more frequent for a while now so I've been working on these."

She read them quickly. "They'll show the same thing that mine did." She said confidently.

"D'you mind if I…?" he gestured towards them and she shook her head. He grabbed the pen and worked in silence for a few minutes before he stumbled back and leant on the table. "Oh my God…"

"They're never going to stop. They're going to destroy everything and nobody will even realise until it's too late." Dawn whispered. "What do we do?"

"I don't know. I don't know." He ran his hands through his hair, looking stressed. "Phillip. Phillip will know. Stay here!"

He sprinted out the room, leaving Dawn to stare at the calculations in front of her, and a quote her mother had liked ran through her head. "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper."


	19. Chapter 19

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Emily cried to a smattering of laughter. She was sat with Dawn and Jess by the ADD, attempting to learn some basic modern science. The two girls had taken in upon themselves to teach her so she fit in a bit better- Jess had taken general knowledge and pop culture while Dawn was doing specific subjects at a minor level.

"Em just accept it! The reasons are too complicated to explain- earth is a planet belonging to a solar system, which is just one in a galaxy. There are hundreds of thousands of galaxies in the universe." Dawn told her exasperatedly. Emily scowled unhappily but nodded.

"It still does not make any sense." She mumbled. Jenny shook her head at the three of them from the other side of the room, sadness rushing through her that Dawn never smiled like that for her anymore.

"It doesn't have to! Just remember it!" Dawn cried, just as Lester called to Jess over the coms.

"Okay." Emily conceded, raising her hands in the air with a smile.

"Alright. And that concludes our space module." Dawn said dryly. "Next up- modern medicine."

"Another time Dawn!" called Jess as she hit the alarm.

"Lesson over!" Emily said cheerfully, turning around. "Is it a gateway?"

"No- possible creature incursion." Jess answered, concentrating on the screens. Matt strode up.

"Jess?" he questioned.

"Data being sent to your phones now." She smiled, handing them all black boxes. They left, quickly driving to the scene where they were joined by Becker.

"Jess, where's Connor?" the soldier questioned as Jenny veered off to deal with the builders.

"He's just left the Arc with Philip. I can't raise him on coms." She frowned in confusion. Matt and Dawn exchanged a concerned look, while Abby glanced between them unhappily.

"We can't wait for him, we need to get down there and see what we're dealing with." Matt decided. "Emily and Dawn, stay up here, watch what happens on the surface."

They looked unhappy but did so, peering over the edge of the hole before moving back. "So are you still living with Matt?" Dawn asked, bored. Emily nodded uncertainly.

"I know it's not proper, but this place confuses me too much for it to be safe living on my own." She admitted. Dawn smiled.

"Emily, it's perfectly proper." She told her. "Lot of people do it."

Emily shifted unhappily. "I'm still married, Dawn." she said in a lowered voice.

"To a man who died over a century ago." Dawn pointed out. Emily bit her lip. Dawn watched her curiously.

"Are you and Matt…?" she waved her hand in the hair with her eyebrows raised. Emily looked nonplussed.

"What?"

"You know!" Dawn raised her eyebrows, but Emily just shook her head blankly. "Are you in a relationship!?"

Emily's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No, of course not!"

Dawn sighed in disappointment but continued to watch Emily. "Em, if it bothers you that much I have a spare room. You're more than welcome."

"To move in with you?" Emily questioned in surprise. Dawn nodded.

"I'm all alone- it'd be nice to have some company and you wouldn't have to feel bad about living with a man you're not married to." She shrugged. Emily launched herself forward and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you!"

They both looked around at a yell from below, stepping forward to help Abby out as she scrambled up the ladder, closely followed by the two men. "What happened?" questioned Dawn in concern.

"Big beetle thing." Abby explained. She turned to Matt and Becker. "So what now?"

"We need guns. Lethal weapons." Matt decided.

"What?" Abby and Dawn exclaimed together. Becker looked at him.

"Really?"

"The EMD's are useless. The bullets are just bouncing right off." He shook his head slightly.

"But it could have a-" Abby began to protest but Matt cut her off decisively.

"No Abby. We're not going to stun this one and bring it back to the menagerie. We're gonna have to kill it."

"Finally common sense. Leave it with me." Becker told him reassuringly, jogging away. Matt sighed while Jenny rejoined the,.

"I can loop up a system that automatically screens and gives us locations on emergency calls." Dawn offered. "It'll make it easier to find again."

"Like before we had the ADD?" Abby enquired. Dawn nodded. "I didn't know you could do that."

Dawn looked amused. "Who do you think set it up in the first place? Leek was bloody useless, remember?"

"It sounds good Dawn. Get it to run through Jess first though, she'll be able to monitor more closely. And take Emily with you- it'll be good for her to learn." Matt instructed. "Abby, with me please."

"I'm going back to the ARC- I can do more there." Jenny told him. He nodded, and she strode off.

Dawn opened a channel with Jess and began to work, rerouting any calls containing the word 'monster', 'insect' or 'creature' to the ARC. It didn't take long before Jess had full access. Dawn grinned, while Emily just looked baffled. "I think I'm going to need a lesson on modern technology too…" she said to Dawn, who smiled.

"We'll have to ease you in gently to that one." She mused, before Matt was shouting at them.

"Dawn, Emily, we've got another one. Let's go!" they both ran over and joined him and Abby.

"Two victims in an hour. This thing's hungry." The blonde was saying.

"Or it's stockpiling food." Matt pointed out.

"Or there's more than one creature."

"Exactly." Matt sighed, climbing in the driver's seat. "Either way, we gotta know."

They drove to the location, finding that Becker had arrived just before them. "Get those people out of here." Matt ordered immediately. "Connor, have you laid a map over those radar results yet?"

"Yep. Just a minute." He typed something, and the map flashed up.

"That's cool Con." Dawn complimented.

"Can we make a 3D model of this?" Matt questioned. "We're looking for a nest in the tunnels. It will be part of an already existing structure."

Connor looked bemused. "Ok, that's pretty specific for a creature we've never seen before, but I'm on it."

"You seem to know lot about this thing." Abby said suspiciously, while Emily and Dawn just glanced at each other uncomfortable. Matt stared at Abby, readying his gun before he walked off without answering.

"Guys, stay back from the edge of the hole." Becker ordered as they approached it. He glanced at Dawn. "You can shoot that thing, right?"

"I beat you last time, remember?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Just checking."

"Need to find the next large patch of grass." Matt thought aloud.

"But the first attack was in the road." Abby pointed out.

"It can't burrow through concrete, the workmen made that hole themselves. It's hunting for food, it won't be far. We need to lure it out again." He answered, only just reigning in his temper. Dawn shot him a look.

"How we gonna do that?" Becker asked. He looked around them.

"Vibrations."

Dawn followed his gaze to the lawn mower and grinned. "Heck of a wake up call." She commented.

"Just stay back." Becker ordered. She nodded, watching as Matt started it up and they all waited.

"But there must be lots of vibrations in London, why would it pick this one?" Emily queried.

"Because it knows there's already prey here." Answered Dawn, then frowned as the lawnmower spluttered to a stop.

"Damn it!" Matt cursed, crossing to it.

"Matt be careful!" Cried Abby. He froze as the ground rumbled beneath them.

"Where the hell is this thing?" muttered Becker tensely.

"Guys! Hey! It was under our noses all along!" Connor came running into the garden, yelling happily. Dawn cried out to him; Abby and Matt did the same. But it was too late and the creature rose up, knocking him to the floor.

Simultaneously, the four with guns began firing, hitting the creature again and again as it squealed. But the injuries didn't stop it from grasping Connor and retreating into the tunnel, vanishing from sight. "CONNOR!" Screamed Abby. She ran forward towards the hall, stopped only by Matt's arms around her.

"Abby no! No, come on. We'll get him back, I promise, we'll get him back. Come on." He gently pulled her away as she stared at the hole in shock. Dawn and Becker looked at each other, saw the same thoughts mirrored in the others' eyes.

They rushed back to the location of the nest, which was the building they were at earlier and Dawn watched as Matt tried to calm Abby down. "Don't tell me to calm down!" the blonde snapped. "This is Connor we're talking about. He could be dead already!"

"If he is there's nothing we can do, if he isn't, charging in here without a plan is not going to help him."

"Abs, listen to him." Dawn pleaded.

"It's _one_ creature. And it's already injured. The bullets pierced the exoskeleton, I saw it." She argued.

"You said yourself, we're not even sure if it is one creature." He pointed out. Becker was a little way away.

"Jess tracked Connors' black box to the last chamber under this building." He chimed in.

"Burrowing insects hibernate in clusters when the weather heats up a scout heads out to-"

"Collect food. Great." Abby finished with a sigh.

"Jess, we don't do anything until we're sure what's down there." Matt ordered.

"We could put a camera in." Becker suggested.

"What about infrared?" Abby asked, before freezing as she heard Connor. She glanced up, saw the same expressions on the faces of the others. "Connor? Connor!"

"Connor can you hear us?" Matt questioned. Dawn stepped closer to Abby, gently entwining their fingers. There was a silence.

"I can… I can hear you."

Abby gasped in relief at his voice. Becker reached out, squeezing her shoulder in support. "Connor are you ok, are you hurt?" She asked him.

"Few bumps and bruises but I suppose that's to be expected in this line of work." He let out a weak laugh. "Hey that's pretty nifty shooting guys. Creature's dead."

Dawn laughed silently in relief that he was well enough to make smart-alec quips, resting her hands on her knees for a moment before she stood and concentrated on what was being said.

"There's no other creatures." Then he let out a grunt of pain. Dawn frowned, exchanging a concerned glance with Becker. Abby moved away from them, lowering her voice.

"What is it? Are you hurt?"

"I just don't like being on escalators that are not moving. It's just feels really odd."

"Connor…" Abby said warningly.

"Got a little scratch on my leg." He admitted. "Sure I'll be fine." Abby looked worried, moving back closer to the four of them as Connor crowed quietly "Daylight!". He laughed slightly as Dawn bounced on her toes and Becker briefly wrapped his arms around Abby. Then Connor seemed to pause. "Um… Matt you know when you asked if there were any other creatures in here?" he began.

"Connor? How many?" Matt asked calmly.

"More than I'm entirely happy about."

"Can you get a route out of there? Can you get to the front doors?" Matt questioned as he peered in through them.

"I can give it I can give it a go."

Dawn scrapped her hands through her hair, recognising the uncertain tone in his voice. She _couldn't _lose someone else she cared about. She swallowed thickly, pushing down the fear and tuning back in to what was being said.

"Connor, just get out of there! Connor?" Abby was begging.

"I've got an idea." He said instead.

"Connor, just get out of there now." Abby interrupted desperately.

"It's not worth it Connor." Emily chimed in.

"Guys, guys, just listen to me. Me getting out is the least of our problems. If Matt's right then we need to deal with these creatures before it's too late. And right now I'm in here. So I'm our best hope."

"Hey Connor forget that. Listen to Abby and get out of there." Matt told him.

"Look, trust me on this. Get Jess to pull up the records of the utility services to the building."

"Connor, what are you doing?" Dawn asked.

"Is there a gas supply that's been connected to this building?" he asked. They frowned.

"Pipes are capped but the mains are connected, so all we have to do is turn the gas on again." Matt read.

"Do it. I'm gonna open the valve." Connor told them confidently.

"You're a genius Connor." Matt grinned.

"So everyone keeps saying. Yet here I am surrounded by fifty giant carnivorous insects. So not that smart." He quipped.

"We'll have to clear the area. I'll go prep the detonators." Becker said, striding away from Matt.

"Blowing stuff up, aye Becker? Gonna love that." Connor grinned. Becker mimicked a 'boom' sound.

"Oh, hang on, where is the valve?" Connor realised he didn't know. Dawn shook her head in amusement.

"According to this there's a cap pipe on the southeast wall, you see that?"

"Yeah, I think I've got it."

"Ok."

"Be careful Connor." Abby leant against the door.

"What could possibly go wrong? Oh- Abby if this doesn't work out too well… you'll never so much as look at another man." He said. She pressed her lips together.

"Forget it. I'll be dating again within days!" she replied, holding back her tears. Dawn glanced at her at the tone in her voice.

"Yeah. I guess with your looks I wouldn't blame you." Abby choked out a laugh. "Right. Here we go."

Dawn crossed over to Abby as she closed her eyes for a moment. "He'll be ok." She comforted. Abby nodded.

"Yeah…" she glanced at Dawn, who slid her arms around the older woman, who buried her face in her shoulder for a moment, before wrapping an arm around her as they walked over to Matt.

"You ok?" he asked her quietly.

"Yeah…"

"All right, everybody move back!" Becker yelled. Emily hurried over to join them behind the cars.

"He will be ok, won't he?" she asked Matt quietly. He looked at her sideways.

"I don't know. I hope so." He answered.

"Detonators primed." Becker told them, jogging away from the doors.

Dawn bit her lip nervously, until Connor's voice finally came through. "Ok, I've got it! I'm out of here."

They waited anxiously for him to appear. He didn't. "Connor are you on the move?" Matt asked him. He made a choking sound.

"Something's wrong." Abby said.

"Connor hurry up." Matt didn't take his eyes from the doors.

"C'mon Con…" Dawn muttered.

"Jess shut off the gas." Abby ordered.

"No Jess don't!" Connor cried. "They're awake and I'm trapped. If we don't take them out now they'll get through the tunnels and we won't be able to stop them."

"Jess. Shut off the gas _now_." Abby repeated measuredly. "Shut it off or I'm going to go in there and get him out myself!" her voice rose as she started forward.

"Abby!" Dawn cried as Matt grabbed her.

"You do that and the attacks we saw today are going to happen all over the city, only a hundred times worse." He told her. She looked torn.

"What are you doing?" she asked him as he returned to the car. Dawn frowned, moving closer.

"Remember I told you I'm not gonna let anything happen to him or you, ok? You're just going to have to trust me." he squeezed her shoulder gently before glancing at Becker. "No live rounds mate! Won't take anything to set that gas off."

He ran off towards the building, leaving them waiting until Connor's voice came through. "Abby! Abby I…" Connor attempted.

"I know." She whispered. Becker moved forward to comfort her while Dawn paced unhappily, biting her lip. "Me too."

Becker gently led Abby around the cars, gesturing for Dawn and Emily to join them. Abby slid to the floor, Becker opposite her with Dawn and Emily next to him. "Where are they?" Dawn questioned. Becker shrugged slightly. "Jess can you hear me? Can you hear me, where are they? Are they clear yet? Are they at a safe enough distance?"

"No. Wait. They're still too close." Came the answer. Dawn bit her lip, leaning her head on her knees.

"Becker do it now!" Matt suddenly yelled. Emily inhaled sharply while Abby switched to sit on Becker's other side.

"Not yet!" she snapped. Becker leaned his head back briefly.

"Do it now! It's an order!" Matt yelled.

"No…" Abby shook her head pleadingly.

"Becker now!" Lester ordered. Becker glanced at Abby.

"Sorry." He pushed her down and covered her with his body, using his other arm to cover Dawn, who with Emily ducked her head and covered her ears. There was a long pause.

Dawn flinched as the blast ripped through the air, raining rubble and debris over the. Car alarms blared.

Abby scrambled up and bolted towards the building, closely followed by Becker with Dawn and Emily. "Abby!"

"Connor!" she screamed.

"Matt!" Becker called. "Matt? Connor? Can you hear me?"

"Connor? Matt?" Dawn peered through the darkness, the sweeping beams from the torches the only light down her amongst the dust.

"Matt! Connor!" Abby was pale, calling desperately. They all were, over and over until finally, there was a clang followed by a groan from the red bin pushed against one wall. Becker sprinted over, helping to fling back the lid to reveal Matt and Connor, both coughing but alive. Abby flung herself forward, wrapping her arms around him. Emily slid her own arms around Matt, blushing crimson as she stepped back.

"Next time, run faster." Becker crouched down, relief coursing through him while Dawn leant against the wall.

"It's nice to see you too, mate." Matt grinned sarcastically. "Creatures?"

"All dead. Nice work."

Connor clambered out the bin, groaning in pain as he collapsed to the floor. "Connor!" Abby exclaimed. Dawn stepped forward. Her eyes widening.

"Oh, it's fine." He waved it off. "It only hurts when I move."

"That is not fine!"

"She's right Con- you need to hospital." Dawn agreed. Becker glanced at it.

"Oh, it's nothing. We'll get a mickey mouse plaster on it." He slid his arm around him, hauling him to his feet.

"Very funny. Seriously, it does hurt." He winced. Dawn skipped up beside him.

"Big baby." She teased. He thwacked her gently around the head.

They got back to the ARC, Matt and Emily disappearing somewhere. "So it was your idea to blow up a perfectly good shopping centre." Lester greeted them. Connor glanced at the girls.

"Guilty." Connor admitted sheepishly.

"Not to worry. Jenny will square it with the relevant authorities." He clapped Connor on the shoulder. Jenny raised an eyebrow.

"Of course." She said sarcastically. She hugged Connor briefly. "I'm glad you're ok."

"Me too!" he joked. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Connor there's a message from April. She says well done for not getting killed and she's waiting for you in your lab." Jess informed him. Dawn shot a questioning look to Jenny, who shrugged confusedly.

"April?" Abby queried.

"Yeah… She's uh… I was gonna… She's kind of my new assistant. Would you believe? Philip lent her to me. You could come and meet her if you like." He stammered out. Dawn made a face at Jenny, who raised her eyebrows with a shake of her head.

"Rather him than me!" she whispered to Dawn, taking that moment to escape while Dawn dashed after Matt, who had just appeared with Becker.

"Matt!" she called, and he slowed, turning to face her.

"Hey."

"Hi. The beetle thingies, they were from your time?" she asked as they walked. He nodded.

"Yeah. Damn things." He grimaced. He glanced at her. "Are you ok?"

"I was above ground, remember?" she pointed out. He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. "I'm fine." She assured him. "But Matt, I think I know what's going to happen with the anomalies."

He stopped dead. "What? How?"

"The prediction model, I ran some simulations. The anomalies are all going to open at the same time, all over the world. Every one of them. Thousands and thousands and they're not gonna stop." She explained in a low tone. His eyes widened.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She whispered. He ran a hand over his head, leaning against the wall.

"Who else knows about this?" he enquired, pulling her gently along the corridor when he noticed a lab tech giving them a strange look.

"That's the thing. When I found out I went to Connor- he was doing his own predictions based on the increasing frequency of the anomalies and he came to the same conclusion that I did. But he ran straight to Phillip."

"He told Burton?" Matt groaned. Dawn nodded.

"Matt, he just brushed it off. He said that it was just a theory and couldn't be proven and that Connor should concentrate on his other work. Then he took Connor to Prospero, and suddenly Connor won't even talk to me properly."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I asked him about the convergence and he just said not to worry, that everything was going to work out and that when it did everything would be ok." Dawn wrapped her arms around herself.

"Hey, don't worry, ok? We're going to figure it out." He promised, wrapping an arm around her. Dawn bit her lip.

"We have to do something Matt. And I might have an idea." She explained it to him as quickly as she could. Matt looked surprised.

"That might actually work…" he acknowledged thoughtfully, then paused at the sound of his name.

"Matt!" Abby called, jogging to catch up with them. They stopped walking again, casting a glance at each other. "I kept asking myself how you could have known so much about those creatures. And then I realised. You knew them because you'd seen them before… in the future. Which means one of two things. Either you've been to their time… or you came from there in the first place. So which one is it?"

Dawn eyes widened as she looked at him to see what he would do, nodding slightly when he glanced at her with a silent question. He inclined his head slightly, taking out his earpiece. "Come with me."

Abby glanced at Dawn apprehensively but she ducked her head, avoiding her gaze guiltily. They reached an empty lab and Matt shut everything off, looking to Abby across the table while Dawn stood silently at the end of it. "In the future this planet's dying. This is my only chance to save it. And if I fail all life on earth will come to an end."

"What has that got to do with the Arc?"

"Something goes wrong with the anomalies in this era. I'm here to find out what it is, and if I can, stop it." He explained bluntly. She let out a loud exhale.

"So your whole identity is a lie. And you've been investigating us all since you got here." She realised. Then she looked at him. "Connor?"

"Abby I need to know what he's doing for Phillip."

"You think it's him?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'm going to show you something. Dawn hasn't seen this yet either." He unclipped the strap on his worst and placed the small circle on the table, activating it. "What you're looking at is your future." Abby and Dawn watched in horror. "Ok?" he asked quietly. They nodded.

"Ok." Abby agreed softly. He shut off the videos and bought up the files, glancing sideways at Abby.

"If you're going to be part of this, you have to know what you're dealing with. I need you to help me."

Dawn looked silently at the files. "Hang on- you already knew about this?" Abby suddenly realised, turning to Dawn who just looked at her feet.

"I told Dawn and Emily a few weeks ago." Matt explained.

"So why don't you just get them to help you?"

"Because Emily doesn't understand this time properly yet, and Dawn is too closely watched by Becker and Lester." He answered.

"It's true. You know they background checked my first boyfriend, and Becker followed us on our dates?" Dawn pointed out. Abby didn't laugh.

"Abby please." Matt said. She shook her head.

"I… I don't know. I need to think." She shot out of the room, leaving Dawn and Matt alone.

"They really background checked your boyfriend?" he questioned. She raised her eyebrows.

"Jenny got Connor to try to get him arrested after he dumped me. I only stopped it 'cause I walked in on them." She said wryly. "Abby'll come around Matt. She just needs to get her head around things."

He nodded. "Go on, get out of here. Go have fun." Then he smirked. "I'll keep Becker and Lester busy."

She giggled, kissing his cheek. "Thanks Matt!" She bounced out, pulling her phone from her pocket and shooting off a text. '_We still gd for 2nite? x" _

She hadn't even made it to her car when the reply came through. '_u bet. C u soon x_'

She smiled, tucking her phone in her pocket and driving away from the ARC.


	20. Chapter 20

Dawn hummed to herself as she skipped around the ARC, bouncing her head to the music blasting through her earphones. Jenny did a double take when she saw her- instead of her usual muted colours, she was dressed in a long-sleeved orange top paired with a jean skirt, grey leggings and blue converse. She looked slightly as she had when she was a teenager.

"Hey Jen!" she almost sang, unhooking an earphone.

"Hi." Jenny smiled, watching her in confusion for a moment before grinning. "You had a date. Who was it with?"

Dawn spluttered. "How could you possibly know that?" she exclaimed. Jenny laughed.

"Because I know you. So? Who was he?"

Dawn bit her lip, grabbing her wrist and dragging her to the empty break room. "Promise you won't tell? Becker will flip…"

Jenny raised her eyebrows. "I won't." she assured her.

"Corporal Peter Casey."

Jenny looked shocked. "Becker's second in command?! Dawn!"

"What?" she protested.

"He's a decade older you!"

"I know! It doesn't matter to either of us!"

"Dawn!" Jenny groaned running her hands through her hair. Dawn watched her, stress becoming visible on her face.

"I shouldn't have told you." She freaked out. They both turned at a knock on the door, and Jenny sighed when the man in question entered.

"Good morning Dawn, Ma'am." He nodded to Jenny, before looking to Dawn. "Could I steal you a minute to discuss-"

"Don't worry, I told her." Dawn interrupted gently, sighing as she dropped into a seat. He glanced at Jenny, who was leaning against a counter before moving closer to Dawn.

"Are you ok?" he murmured, crouching in front of her. She nodded, cupping his face with a weak smile. "Let me guess- the age difference?" she nodded again. He looked to Jenny and straightened, folding his hands behind his back. "Ma'am, please don't take this the wrong way but would you be having this reaction if this were happening in ten years? If Dawn were twenty eight and I were thirty eight?"

"It's not the same thing." Jenny denied. He quirked an eyebrow.

"Isn't it? Ma'am, if Dawn were a typical eighteen year old I would agree with you, and think myself mad for even considering having a relationship with her. But she isn't, she's more emotionally and mentally mature, and acts more frown up than half the men I serve with. She has no desire to go out partying every day of the week or to drink herself silly." He stepped closer to her. "Ma'am, I know Dawn thinks of you as a mother figure and I know you're probably the closest thing she has to a parent, despite your current friction with each other. So I'm telling you this as her mother- I love her. I would _never _hurt her. The age difference is just a number- it doesn't affect either of us."

"Jenny, please. Even if you don't agree with it can't you accept it?" Dawn begged, standing up and coming closer to them, clearly upset. Immediately Peter turned towards her, sliding his hand through hers in a silent show of support. Jenny watched them, saw how he looked at her.

The same way Michael looked at her.

She sighed. "Hurt her, and you'll find out just how good Connor is with a computer and just how handy Becker is with his fists." Jenny told him. Dawn's face lit up.

"Thank you!" she flung her arms around her, hugging her fiercely much to Peter's amusement. Jenny couldn't stop the smile that spread over her face.

"I'm happy for you." She whispered. Dawn tightened her arms for a brief second before rushing away, catching Peter's hand and tugging him along behind her as she ran her hands through her hair once they were gone, feeling like she needed a large glass of wine already and it wasn't even 9.30 yet. The feeling intensified when the alarm blared. She made her way over to Jess, closely followed by Dawn. "Others not here yet?"

"Here!" Abby and Connor both sprinted towards them.

"No running in the corridors!" Lester called. Dawn giggled.

Jess began reading out the coordinates, trailing off in surprise near the end. "That's a new one." Connor commented.

"That's the middle of the North Sea." Matt realised as the phone rang.

"Jess speaking." She answered. "It's for you, it's the Admiralty…"

She passed it to Lester, who answered it without so much as a change in expression. Dawn raised her eyebrows at Connor, who made a face at her. "Right. Marine creature on a submarine." Lester turned back around to face them. "Matt, take the wonder twins. Dawn and Jenny, I need you here."

He ordered. Conner and Abby looked at each other in confusion. "Wonder twins?" Abby mouthed questioningly. Connor shrugged, then looked excited. "Did you just say submarine?"

"I don't believe I mumbled. Jenny?" he walked to his office while Dawn pouted slightly.

"I can't believe you get to go on a submarine! You probably shouldn't tell Becker when he gets back." She crossed her arms. Connor grinned, kissing her temple before bouncing away, followed by an amused Abby who waved at Dawn.

"Where is Becker?" Jenny asked.

"He's taking Emily to become a full member of this time!" Jess bounced enthusiastically in her chair. Jenny quirked an eyebrow.

"Passport office, driving licence, national insurance." Dawn explained. "Plus a few other places."

"Ah." Understanding flashed across Jenny's face.

"Jenny!" hollered Lester from his office. She rolled her eyes but went to him. Matt leaned in to Dawn.

"Keep an eye out for Burton?" He murmured. She nodded.

"You got it." She agreed. She crossed over to the side as he left as well, where her mother's diary sat alongside her notes and for the next while Dawn lost herself in the translation, until Lester's voice broke through the haze.

"Admiral. Welcome to the Anomaly Research Centre." He shook hands with the suited man.

"Mr Lester. The Minister briefed me about your little unit several months ago. I hope your people know what their doing." He said. Dawn scowled, instantly disliking the man and from the look on Lester's face, he didn't either.

"I hope yours do too." He countered. "If you'd like to step this way, we've established a command centre."

"I need a dedicated line to the admiralty and another one to Whitehall. You can establish coms to HMS Gartside, I presume?" Dawn had to bite her lip from snapping something rude to the condescending man. Thankfully, Lester was slightly calmer.

"Of course, their scheduled to send us a signal as soon as they reach the site of the anomaly." He answered calmly.

"HMS Gartside should be in position anytime now." Jess said, barely taking her eyes from the screen.

"Look, this is all rather routine for us these days, why don't you get some sleep. We'll alert you when the situations resolved." Lester suggested to the admiral. He looked distinctly unimpressed.

"I'll take a pot of coffee." He said, aiming it to Jess, who just looked uncertain but turned back to the computers. Dawn frowned, watching as Lester raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Us too. Mine with cream, no sugar. How do you take yours Jess?" Dawn quickly turned around and clapped her hand over her mouth, shaking with silent giggles.

"Frothy, thanks very much Admiral." Jess smirked. He looked rather put out, but shot a look at the man with him and he went off to fetch the drinks.

"I understand your man intends to seal this anomaly by firing a torpedo rewired to pass an electromagnetic charge through it." The admiral checked.

"That's correct."

"Why don't we just blow it up?" he asked frankly. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"We do things differently in our "Little Unit"." Lester answered, exchanging a look with Dawn.

"This man, Connor Temple, he's an elite operative, of course?" The admiral asked. Dawn smirked.

"Yes. Yes indeed, the very highest calibre." Lester confirmed after a moment. Jenny chose that moment to enter.

"James, a reporter is questioning why a submarine docked and then immediately submerged again. The story's due to run in the morning's newspaper- what do you want me to do?" she questioned. He sighed.

"Wonderful. You can't stop it?" he asked. She shook her head.

"They're going to run something whatever I do."

"Make something up to appease them." He instructed. She nodded, turning on her heel and leaving again.

"HMS Gartside. This is the ARC, are you receiving me? Over." Jess's voice got louder, attracting their attention.

"What just happened?" the admiral quizzed.

"HMS Gartside transmitted their last position, then the coms link went down when I tried to acknowledge. They're not responding to the radio transmission." Jess replied. Dawn crossed over to her.

"D'you want me to do a data dump?" she asked. She nodded frantically, moving to the side so Dawn could type as well.

"Please. I'll try a data uplink."

"They're headed straight for the anomaly." Lester realised with a frown.

"What are they doing?" Dawn asked, concerned.

"I'm getting nothing. They're completely out of contact." Jess bit her lip, exchanging a glance with Dawn.

They watched in horror as the submarine drifted closer and closer to the anomaly, before it disappeared completely. Dawn closed her eyes briefly, ducking her head. "Where's… where's my submarine!?" the admiral demanded.

"I thought you said you were briefed about the anomalies?" Dawn raised her eyebrow scathingly. "They went through. Obviously."

"Dawn." Lester chided mildly. "Admiral I have absolute faith in my team. If they decided to enter the anomaly they did so for a good reason."

"No. They've had their chance. Get in touch with the Admiralty and HMS Frost. Move the Vanguard into position." The admiral ordered.

"The Vanguard? Isn't that a _nuclear submarine_?" Jess exclaimed.

"What are you doing?" Lester questioned.

"That anomaly is smack bang in the middle of one of the busiest submarine vectors on the planet. The Russians, the Americans, the Chinese all sneak around playing hide and seek in in those waters. Can you imagine what would happen if one of their nuclear subs disappeared off the coast of Britain? Could start World War III!" He strode away, and Jess and Dawn looked at Lester worriedly.

"Don't worry, it'll take them hours to get the Vanguard into position." He told them.

"What do you think he's got in that briefcase?" Jess asked.

"The other half of the stick up his arse?" Dawn suggested. Lester shot her a look.

"Not his sandwiches, that's for sure. We just have to hope the team reappear before the Admiral opens his Pandora's box."

Dawn glanced towards the screen. "Will a submarine even work in another period?"

"It's a self enclosed system, so there's no reason why not…" Jess answered uncertainly.

"HMS Frost will be on station in 10 minutes to resolve this." The admiral told them.

"Ten minutes?" Lester questioned. "You've had it on standby all along."

"I had a hunch that your people couldn't pull this off, not underwater and I was right. Initiate firing control procedures." The admiral seemed unconcerned.

"Yes sir."

"Anomalies are my jurisdiction!" Lester protested.

"National security is mine. This operation is now under Naval command."

"Nuking an anomaly won't work." Lester tried to explained.

"Nuking anything works." The admiral snapped.

"Are you really that stupid and narrow minded or is it just a particularly off day for you?" Dawn asked incredulously.

"All you need to seal this anomaly is to pass an EM pulse through it. My armament will do that." Said the admiral confidently, shooting a dirty look towards Dawn.

"And have you considered the implications to the earth's timeline of detonating a nuclear device in a prehistoric era? We could cease to exist or be turned into pond life."

"The Admiralty deemed it an acceptable risk. Have we alerted Washington, Moscow, Shanghai?" he turned away from Lester, who groaned.

"You told them about the anomalies?"

"No. We've told them there's been an accident aboard one of our nuclear submarines and asked them to remove all their personal from the area. Young lady. I need secure coms to HMS Frost." He turned his back on Lester, dismissing the conversation. Dawn wandered over to stand neat Jess; both heard Lester behind them and turned hopefully- he shook his head. Jess returned to face the screen, saw the numbers flash up.

"Five minutes till they fire." She informed them. Dawn paced up and down, not paying attention to any of them until suddenly, Jess's voice broke through. "Torpedo away." Dawn crossed back over to them, watching with clenched fists until she noticed a label that shouldn't have been there. "They're back!" Jess cried. "And the nuke is heading straight for them!"

"Disarm that torpedo!" snapped Lester.

"HMS Frost, this is the ARC, I have an Admiral Marston for you." Jess said frantically.

"Abort, Abort now!"

"Congratulations Admiral. You just fired a nuclear weapon in peacetime at one of your own submarines." Lester said dryly, reaching out to place a hand on Dawn's shoulder.

"Come on, move!" she whispered frantically.

"It's going it hit them!" Jess exclaimed. They watched as the labels seemed to collide, but then when straight past each other.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what just happened?" Asked Lester as Dawn sagged in relief, scraping her fringe back with one hand.

"They got out of the way." The admiral said in shock.

"Yeah, but the nuke is still heading towards the anomaly." Jess pointed out anxiously.

"Wait, what's that?" questioned Dawn as she pointed to the screen.

"There's a second torpedo."

"It's Connor's." Lester realised. "He's trying to close the anomaly."

"What'll happen if he does?" asked Dawn as the admiral asked for confirmation of his order.

"What'll happen if he doesn't?" asked Jess. Dawn gripped her hand tightly as they watched the screen. "They did it, the anomaly's locked!"

"Well? Was the nuke disarmed in time?" Lester demanded.

"They uh… They think so." The admiral replied, slightly shaken as he placed the coms link down.

"Well _that's_ reassuring, isn't it? If not, I think we know what caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs." Lester said.

"Wouldn't that disappoint my parents?" murmured Dawn as there was a bing from the computer. _Mission success- returning to base. _Dawn sighed in relief, exchanging a grin with Jess that turned into a laugh when the next line flashed up. _Whoever took a shot at us better not be there._

"Connor?" Jess suggested in amusement.

"Or Matt." Dawn smiled as Lester's phone rang and the admiral began to walk away.

"Hello? Speaking. Yes, of course, one moment. Admiral?"

"Yes?"

"It's for you."

"Me?"

"It's the Prime Minister."

"Yes Prime Minister. I-I can explain everything." Lester returned to stand near Jess and Dawn, exchanging a smirk with them while Dawn and Jess discretely high fived.

It was a few hours later when Dawn spotted Abby coming out of Connor's lab. "Hey!" she greeted.

"Hi Dawn." Abby smiled tiredly at her. Dawn paused.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just… Connor and Phillip…" Abby ran a hand through her hair while Dawn looked sympathetic.

"Sorry. You want me to try to slap some sense into him?"

Abby shook her head with a smile. "No. Could do with a girls' night though?" she looked at Dawn hopefully, and she nodded eagerly.

"I'd love to. Emily's at my place as well now."

"Perfect. I'll get Jess, you get Jenny?" Abby questioned. Dawn nodded, beaming and bounced off, both hoping there wouldn't be an alert that night.

A few days later found Dawn with Abby, Matt and Emily holed up in a lab one morning, Matt pacing up and down agitatedly. We have to find out what Connor's doing."

"He won't tell me anything, he worked straight through the night. I haven't even seen him. He's obsessed." Abby said in frustration.

"Well if he won't tell you, we're gonna have to find out some other way, and you're the only person can do that." Matt said pointedly. Dawn frowned.

"You want me to break into his lab?" Abby exclaimed.

"If I get caught it's a disaster, I'd lose Philip's trust. He doesn't trust Dawn as it is, and Emily has only been here a few months- Phillip would lock her up and accuse her of treason. If you get caught…"

"I'm just the jealous girlfriend, right?" Abby finished bitterly. "You're asking me to lie to him. To risk our whole future together."

"He's already risking it Abby. And it's not just your future- it's everyone's." Matt tried to persuade her.

"He has a point Abs…" Dawn agreed softly. She shook her head just as the anomaly alert blared.

"I can't."

They met Becker at the cars and made their way to the location, jumping slightly as the loud music echoed around them without warning. Emily stepped closer to Dawn, eyes widening. "Motion detector." Matt said.

"Video installation. Bit old and tired- I'm more of a post-impressionist myself." They all stared at him. "Anomaly's this way."

"He wasn't serious, was he?" Dawn asked no one in particular.

"You know, the more I get to know him, the more frightened I get." Matt handed out the EMD's as Dawn smirked and followed Becker to the anomaly, kneeling down to help Abby with the locking mechanism. They all jolted again as the music boomed.

"Someone must have triggered it." Abby grabbed her EMD and they spread out throughout the instillation, not seeing anything until a raptor appeared, scrambling over the building structure.

"Don't shoot!" Matt ordered. Becker looked at him incredulously.

"What?"

"I think it likes you."

"It doesn't like me it's threatened by me." Becker corrected. "It senses that I'm the alpha male. Dawn snorted with laughter.

"We can usher it back in! Make a run for the anomaly." Matt told him.

"Seriously Becker, run." Abby added. He raised his eyes but chucked his EMD to Matt and bolted.

"C'mon!" He threw himself to the side at the last minute and the raptor jumped through.

"Any injuries?" Matt asked, to which he got a shake of the head. "Good work everyone."

"Everyone? Next time you run." Becker muttered.

"Guys." Abby caught their attention. "We've got a problem."

"What?"

"We've just sent a raptor back to the late 1860's." Abby ran her hand through her hair.

"What? How's that even possible?" Becker demanded.

"Victorian newspaper- device is correct. It must have blown through the anomaly." He turned to Emily. "Have you of heard this?"

She shook her head, pale. "After my time…"

"Spring-heeled Jack." Becker read.

"Look at those claws. They've even given it a nickname." Abby took the newspaper. Dawn groaned.

"Oops." She muttered

"Jess we've just sent a raptor back to Victorian London I need you to check news archives for the period. Look for references to a Spring-heeled Jack." Matt spoke through coms.

"Start at January 21, 1868." Abby suggested.

"This is not good…"

"How not good?" asked Matt impatiently.

"In the last month this "Spring-Heeled Jack" has killed at least another 12 people." Jess told them.

"Oh great." Muttered Abby while Emily leant against the window with her head tilted back.

"Give me your gun." Matt took it from Abby.

"Wh… what are you doing?" she asked.

"Matt?" Emily questioned.

"I'm gonna go through. Twelve People and that's only the ones we know about. No arguments." He said firmly.

"I'm not arguing, let's fix this." Becker said resolutely. They all raised an eyebrow at him.

"Becker what about the rules?" asked Abby sarcastically.

"We made a colossal mistake. It's our fault and we need to fix it." He answered sternly, before grumbling under his breath several expletives. "I can't believe it."

"We put a raptor back through by mistake." Dawn groaned disbelievingly, raking her hands through her hair.

"That really wasn't very clever was it?" Emily picked up an EMD, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Not our finest moment no." Matt agreed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you."

"No you're not, I'm going on my own. The more of us there are the more attention we draw to ourselves." He denied.

"You will stick out like a sore thumb. Trust me, you need a helping hand. Plus a strangely dressed man wandering around alone is far more conspicuous than a couple. Most will just assume we're gypsies."

He sighed. "Unlock it." He told Becker before turning to Abby. "Now listen. While I'm gone you have to do what we discussed."

"Matt I can't."

"I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't crucial. You have to get in there." The anomaly opened.

"Good luck." Abby told him and Emily.

"You too." He nodded. Dawn blew them both a kiss before moving closer to Abby, and they stepped through.

Dawn volunteered to stay with Becker and watch the anomaly while Abby went back to the ARC. "Abs?" she called out before the blonde could leave.

"Ya?"

"Don't do it." She muttered. Abby looked confused.

"What?"

"Break into the lab. Don't do it." Dawn repeated. "Look, I spent almost four years watching the two of you dance around each other- nothing is worth risking your relationship for. I have another idea on how to get the information, just wait for me later, ok?"

Abby nodded with a relieved smile, happy she didn't have to betray Connor. Dawn returned to sit near Becker, her EMD pointed. "I spy?" he suggested. She shook her head.

"Boring. Would you rather." She decided. He sighed.

"You're on, but I'm going first. Would you rather… spend a week in the Silurian or the Cretaceous?"

And so it continued for several hours, the questions getting stranger and stranger until the anomaly flickered and they both shot to their feet, EMD's at the ready. They both jumped back slightly as the raptor crashed through, unconscious. "You know, I'm not sure I even want to know." Dawn sighed as she and Becker stepped forward and carefully dragged the creature out of the way. A few minutes later Matt stepped through, nodding at them but Dawn frowned. "Where's Emily?"

"She's…" Matt struggled. Dawn stepped forward fearfully but her question was answered when the brunette stumbled through.

"Matt!" she gasped in a sob. "Matt I'm shot!"

He caught her as her legs buckled and lowered them to the floor; Dawn fell to her knees next to them. "I'll get the medical kit." Becker darted off as Matt fumbled with her top, his actions gradually slowing.

"There's no blood." He realised. "There's no blood? There's no wound. Your outfit saved you."

They he fumbled with her jacket, extracting the squashed bullet. "Remind me to let you choose your own clothes more often." Dawn said in relief. Emily let out a laugh, but then her eyes widened.

"Matt!"

He and Dawn both turned to see a gun pointed out them. "Who…?" Dawn began quietly but the man spoke over her.

"Neither of you move or I will kill him." He threatened.

"Put the gun down and we'll let you go home." Matt asked him.

"Get up." Nobody moved. "Now!" Dawn moved closer to Emily when she saw her flinch while Matt slowly rose to his feet, only to have the man hold him to him and point the gun at his head. "I'm not going anywhere without my wife." He hissed. "She will pay for her crimes."

"You married him?" Dawn exclaimed. They all shot her a look.

"I didn't kill anyone Henry, and I'm not your wife, not anymore. And I'm not coming back with you. This is my home now." Emily told him defiantly.

"ENOUGH!" He hollered. "Get to your feet woman. Now! Or your lover dies." As they scrambled to their feet, the exhibition was triggered and he flinched as music blared. "What is this place? You." He turned to Emily a little wildly. "How are you doing this? You have mesmerized me."

"Henry, put the gun down. _Please_." She begged him calmly, a little sympathetic to the frightened man. "No one here means you any harm."

"Look out behind you!" Becker yelled, pushing her and Dawn to the side.

"No! Stay where you are!" Henry yelled, surging forward and drawing the raptor's attention. Emily automatically grabbed Dawn and turned her away, clutching at her. There was a silence.

Becker knelt next to the body, checking his pulse. "He's dead." He shook his head. Emily gasped in shock, slowly releasing Dawn who slipped her hand through hers, while Matt rested his hand on her shoulders.

Becker encouraged them to head back to the ARC while he dealt with everything, and Dawn hadn't even sat down when Abby bustled her off to the side. "Hey. So what's this big idea of yours?"

"Come with me." Dawn tugged her down near the armoury, to a room she hadn't seen before. It was stacked with shelves and drawers, tables with half constructed equipment scattered across them sat in various places.

"What is this place?" Abby asked.

"Like the armoury, except for tech." Dawn answered. She browsed the shelves for a moment, until she found what she was searching for. "Got it! No connect USB. All it needs is to touch the computer you want to download from, and then it will download the data with no more contact. The only downside is the computer tends to get kinda slow so if you want to avoid detection you should distract him. Or… I could do it?"

"I couldn't ask you to do that." Abby shook her head.

"Why not? If I get caught I'll just say I was testing a new piece of tech. and it'll save your relationship." Dawn raised an eyebrow. Abby looked torn. "I'll be fine. Give me ten minutes."

She skipped to the break room and made a coffee, before crossing up to Connor's lab and knocking on the door. "Delivery!" she called with a bright smile. He grinned, opening it for her.

"Hey."

"Hi. Thought you could use this." She placed it on the table, turning around to face him while leaning against her hands, in which the USB was contained. She touched it to the computer, felt it buzz in confirmation of the beginning of the download. "So how's it going? Not working you too hard are they?"

"It's really good. I could use you actually, if you'd just stop arguing with Phillip." He shot her a meaningful look to which she shrugged.

"I don't like him. I think he's a creep, second only to Oliver Leek."

"That's a bit harsh."

She shrugged. "Hey, I didn't like Caroline or Christine Johnson either if you remember." She watched as uncertainty flashed across his face.

"Well, you're wrong about Phillip." He said stubbornly.

"He knew my mum." Dawn told him.

"I know."

"What?" Dawn looked at him in confusion.

"I know. Philip told me." Connor shrugged. "He said that when Danny was in the riff valley he found some papers in Helens' bag with his name on it."

"Yeah… not raising alarm bells for you?"

"It doesn't prove anything, or mean anything." Connor sighed frustratedly. "Dawn, I know you're nervous about trusting people but Phillip is one of the good guys. Now if you don't mind, I have work to do."

Dawn began to walk out, but turned just before she left. "You know Con, my dad was already proud of you. You're amazing, cleverer than anyone I've ever met and that includes dad- you don't have to prove anything to anyone. Maybe you should try to remember who already knows that, and who you can really rely on."

She walked out, USB in hand. Abby was waiting down the corridor; she looked hopefully to Dawn when she heard her coming, and she nodded. "I got it. But Phillip's done a real number on him hasn't he?"

Abby nodded. "We need to give it to Matt." Dawn nodded, and they headed towards the hub where Jess was fussing over Emily. She paused, caught the man's eye. He followed them.

"Hi…"

Without a word, Dawn held out the USB. "Connor is innocent in this." She said quietly. Matt nodded.

"Wow. Thank you." He took it carefully, looking at them both. "Someday he will understand."

"I'm not so sure about that." Abby shook her head. "We're lying to him and sneaking around him. He's never going to forgive us."

"Me. he'll never forgive me." Dawn corrected, smiling sadly at her. "As far as he'll know, I'm the only who knew anything about it, ok? He _never_ finds out that Abby knew."

"I won't tell, if it ever comes to that." Matt promised. "Neither will Emily."

Dawn nodded. "Good."

Abby looked at her. "Thank you."

"Just don't let him go, okay? And don't ever tell him the truth."


	21. Chapter 21

"I don't understand one thing." Emily said to Dawn. They were with Matt as he attempted to decrypt the data from the USB- Abby was on her way. "Why are you so adamant Connor doesn't know about Abby's involvement and blames you instead?"

Dawn bit her lip. "Connor and Abby… they only have each other. They both had difficult upbringings and apart from a wayward younger brother on Abby's side neither of them have any family. If they lost each other it would destroy them both. I have other people. Even if Connor hates me I won't be alone. They would be." She explained. Emily nodded in understanding. "Ok, my turn. How on earth did your husband end up appearing through the anomaly after you?"

Emily groaned. "Millions of people in London, and the one I happen to literally run into is him." She sighed.

"What, and he followed you?"

"He thought that Matt was my lover and that I'd run off with him." Emily smirked, then scowled. "He was going to have me committed."

"The newspaper article Abby found." Dawn remembered. Matt and Emily both shot her questioning looks. "She showed it to me before she gave it to you, Matt. We were trying to work out how Emily could have been committed in Victorian times when she was living here."

"Well, thankfully I wasn't." Emily shuddered slightly. They all looked around as the door opened and Abby slipped in.

"Hey." She greeted. "You done it yet?"

"Connors' hard drive's encrypted, I'm nearly there."

"Please don't tell me I lied to Connor for nothing." Dawn stressed, just as the computer beeped.

"Okay, I'm in." Matt announced.

"What is it, what's he doing?" asked Emily as they al crossed over to him.

"Anomaly readings?" he questioned in confusion. They all looked at each other blankly. They were distracted by the anomaly alert going off, and without a word rushed upstairs towards the hub.

"What is it Jess?" Matt asked as they headed there.

"_You not going to believe where this anomaly is_…" she breathed. That bought them all up short.

"Try me." he said suspiciously.

"_It's Connor's lab. The anomaly's here in the ARC._" She explained, shocked. They all looked at each other and bolted towards it.

"Connor! Open up. It's a direct order." Matt yelled. He looked uncertain but did as they said. Dawn felt her stomach clench as she saw was on the table.

"What have you done?" Abby breathed, horrified.

"Well I… How about congratulations? No? This is the first man made anomaly in history and I made that."

"Oh my God Connor..." Dawn whispered in dismay.

"Lock it." Matt ordered.

"I suggest you turn around and leave this lab immediately. Because under no circumstances is anyone going to lock this anomaly." Phillip ordered as he entered with a soldier in tow.

"Philip we have to do our job." Matt protested.

"Matt, if we lock this anomaly now the readings just get weaker. We might lose it altogether!" Connor explained.

"Oh and that would be bad?" Abby raised her eyebrows.

"What? Come on Abby, it's… it's perfectly safe. Look at the size of it- you couldn't even get a T-Rex's toe through there. Dawn, you get it don't you?" he looked towards her. She met his gaze, and slowly shook her head.

"You're becoming everything we've been trying to avoid." She whispered. He frowned.

"I know what I'm doing!"

"No you don't. You really, really don't." Abby denied sadly.

"This lab belongs to Prospero. It's not your jurisdiction Matt. If I have to eject you, I will." Phillip interrupted.

"Okay. Guys it's okay, I'll talk to you later." Matt nodded.

"What?" Abby questioned.

"Philip knows what he's doing." He looked at them pointedly, and Emily quickly caught on.

"Come on." She nudged Abby and Dawn, prompting the two to follow her out. "You two seem to know what you're at so let's leave it unlocked and I'll increase security, yeah?" Dawn heard Matt say. Dawn barely noticed where they going- her hand was entwined tightly with Abby's as they blindly followed Emily.

Abby and Matt veered off to talk with each other, leaving Emily and Dawn to head to Jess, who'd been watching on the security cameras. "I already spoke to Lester." She said as they entered. "There's nothing he can do."

Dawn slumped at a desk nearby. "If there was ever a time for my father to make a miraculous reappearance, this would be it." She groaned.

"What's going on?" Jenny questioned in confusion, glancing between the three despondent women. Emily quickly explained. "Well, what the hell is he thinking?" Jenny exclaimed.

"I have no idea." Dawn bent her head slightly. Jenny crossed to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Ok. So what do we do?" she asked after taking a deep breath.

"There's nothing we can do. Not officially." Matt answered from the doorway. They all looked at him. "Abby's gone to try to talk some sense into him- I doubt it'll be successful but hey, we can hope."

"Matt look at this." Jess called him over, but they all followed.

"Did something come through?" he questioned.

"What is that?" Emily asked, peering closer.

"Oh. That's disgusting." Jess recoiled slightly.

"No…" Matt breathed.

"Insects. Gross." Jess wrinkled her nose slightly.

"T-Rex's toe…" Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Come on!" Matt prompted. He, Emily and Dawn ran out.

"Now what's he doing?" frowned Jenny.

"Matt it's ok, he put it back through." Jess realised. He groaned.

"That's the last thing he should have done!" he exclaimed. They sprinted faster, and could hear his shrieks from a few corridors away. A split second ahead of them were Abby and Connor, who'd been attracted by the screams.

"We've gotta get him out of there!" exclaimed Connor. Matt grabbed his arm.

"No! Too late."

_Incursion detected. Lockdown procedure initiated. Evacuate._ The voice came over the intercom. "The beetles must have set off the bio-scan. That's a good thing- the labs an isolation room." Connor

"It will suck the air out of the room and kill them." Abby realised.

"No it won't. It's got oxygen coming through your anomaly." Matt reminded him. His face dropped.

"Oh my God…" muttered Dawn, running a hand through her hair.

"_Emily. You and Jenny should leave with the rest of the non essential staff_." Becker came through coms.

"Who's he calling non essential?" protested Emily indignantly.

"Look. It was an unfortunate choice of words, but he's got a point and it is his call. I'm sorry." Dawn winced as Emily looked at Matt in anger, before spinning on her heel and storming off.

"What do we do now?" Abby asked.

"Once we've evacuated the Arc we'll pump pesticide into the lab. Kill as many as we can before we lock the anomaly, yeah?" He decided, then leant into Abby. "Get him out of here as soon as possible."

"Dawn." Connor waved her over from where she was listening. "Am I going crazy?"

"Matter of opinion." She muttered, but looked into the room, then frowned. "What the hell?"

_"__Wait Matt. Is it just my imagination or are there less of them?" _Jess asked.

"They must be going back through the anomaly." Connor said.

"No, they're not going back up the table." Observed Dawn. Matt and Abby both came forward.

"They could be getting out some other way." Abby said.

"That's impossible. That room's sealed tight." Connor protested.

"Matt!" Abby exclaimed suddenly.

"Those walls are reinforced concrete!" Connor said in shock.

"Oh great. Mutant beetles." Dawn said sarcastically. They all looked up at the creaking above them, stepping back. They all drifted closer to the walls, listening intently with a sinking feeling. Dawn looked confused.

"The walls are solid…"

"They're in the air conditioning ducts." Matt explained.

"That means they're going to be all over the building in minutes." Abby closed her eyes briefly.

"Yeah."

"Matt!" Connor suddenly yelled, darting forward and dragging him out the way as beetles scuttled through the walls. Abby attempted to stamp on one but instead it crawled easily up her body, biting her when she tried to brush it off. She cried out, lobbing it away from her and allowing Matt to shoot it.

"You alright?" asked Connor, panicked.

"Yeah." She nodded, pulling off her headband and wrapping it around the bite.

"You're sure?" he checked, still not completely calm.

"Yeah." She reassured him with a smiled. He nodded.

"What now? We scared 'em off?" Connor asked. They all looked up at the sound of a strange, almost buzzing noise.

"I'm thinking not…" Dawn murmured.

"What's that?" Matt questioned. They slowly moved closer to the door, peeking through to see a huge beetle climbing through on top of the others.

"Oh, rank." Dawn looked repulsed.

"It's the queen." Abby said to no one in particular.

"You mean like with bees?" asked Dawn. Abby nodded.

"Yeah."

"Hey, Matt! Fill me in." Becker jogged up. Matt began to pace.

"Well we can't pick them off separately because they'll be outside the Arc before we get them all but the good news is they won't leave the queen. So now that she's in the ducts we can track their movements in there and hit them all together. Our only chance is to get them together."

"Jess what's directly under us on the floor below?" Becker asked.

"_Directly under you is… is me._" she answered. They all exchanged worried looks. "_You're right over the hub_."

"Jess can you get me up a map of the ducts please?" asked Matt calmly. She got to work while he turned to the others. "Becker, Abby, go to the armoury and get me something big enough to trap and hold the queen. Then bring back as much pesticide as you can carry."

"Okay." They both darted off, Abby forgetting about Connor behind her and banging into him.

"Sorry."

"What about me? What- what can I do?" he asked. Matt just glanced at him.

"Jess any sign of those maps?"

"_Got them_." She confirmed.

"Okay where does the duct above me go?" he asked.

"_It runs right around the ops room_." She read.

"Then where?" he asked impatiently.

"_There's a junction. It splits into two smaller pipes_."

"That's perfect. That's too small for the queen." He smiled, turning to face Connor. "Okay Connor make yourself useful. Get down there and take a panel off the ceiling. Expose that junction then wait for me, okay?"

"Okay but I'm gonna lock the anomaly." He gestured towards the door but Matt cut him off.

"No you're not. You've done enough already." He told him cuttingly. Connor visibly flinched. "I've given you a job now maybe this time you'll do what I suggest." He glanced pleadingly at Dawn but she looked away, unwilling to let him off yet for being so blind. He stared resentfully at Matt, who ground his teeth. "Connor if we're not there when that colony hits that dead end they're gonna chew through that duct and we'll have lost our only chance okay? Now go! I'll lock the anomaly."

Connor ran off and Matt turned to Dawn. "You're welcome to go with him."

"No thanks." She said instantly. He paused. "What?"

"I'm going to _make sure_ he can't reopen the anomaly. Do you understand?" he lowered his voice as he spoke, and realisation swept over her.

"Good. He made a mistake, it needs to be fixed."

He smiled, kissing her temple. "Good girl. Let's go." They slipped into the room where the beetles had now stopped pouring through the small anomaly and Matt crossed to the laptop, typing quickly to lock the anomaly and exchanging a smile with Dawn. "You sure?" he checked, raising his EMD. She rolled her eyes.

"Just do it." He fired and the laptop fizzed before dying. They didn't wait around, instead rushing down to join Jess and Connor. Matt helped Connor while Dawn crossed to Jess, who was watching the screens uncomfortably. "I hate insects. Worse than spiders, worse than dinosaurs."

Dawn smiled. "I grew up being dragged from dig to dig every summer- small insects and spiders I can deal with. Ones as big as my hand? Not so much."

Jess shuddered. "Ew ew ew ew." She rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

"Where do you want the box?" Becker called as he and Abby carried it in, followed by Emily. Dawn grinned.

"Right there!" Matt called over his shoulder.

"Thought you got sent out?" Dawn asked Emily. Becker looked disgruntled.

"She disobeyed a direct order." He complained as he handed Connor the pesticide.

"Yeah? Get used to it." Matt took one for himself.

"They'll eat through this fast. It won't hold them for long." Abby worried.

"Long as we get one or two minutes out of it that should be enough."

"Matt? They're coming!" Jess called.

"Okay everybody this side!" Matt ordered. "Nobody fire until I say- we have to spray all of them, no stragglers. And whatever happens, don't kill the queen!"

"Why not?" Becker asked to no answer.

"Ready?" Matt checked.

"Ready." Came Connor's confirmation.

"Go!"

He triggered the explosion and the beetles began to fall into the box. "Now?" Becker asked. Matt didn't answer until the queen had fallen too.

"Now!"

They all began to spray, the white cloud obscuring the insects. But then Jess started to scream hysterically "Jess!" Becker dropped his spray and dashed over to her.

"Don't stop, don't stop!"

"It's not working!" Emily cried.

"I'm out!" Abby told them.

"Now I'm out too!" Connor chimed in, glancing over to see everyone else was the same.

"Okay move, move. Go go." encouraged Matt. "Come on keep moving."

"They got the queen out!" groaned Abby. Becker ran past them with his EMD, ignoring the shouts and calls of his name and shot the queen over and over, killing her.

"That was our only way of controlling them." Matt ground out.

"Now what do what do?" Abby sighed. Connor raised his eyes to the ceiling as they went still, listening to the scrabbling in the pipes.

"JESS!" Emily cried suddenly, attracting their attention as the field coordinator fell to the floor. She caught her and Dawn fell to her knees next to her.

"What's wrong with you?" Connor asked, crouching down. Abby and Becker were shooting the beetles that got a little too close.

"I feel weird." Jess mumbled.

"She's burning up." Emily informed them, placing her hand on her neck. "Abby didn't you get bitten too?"

"One of them bit my wrist but I feel okay. They can't be venomous."

"No you don't understand. I'm allergic to insect bites. I need an epi-pen, there should be some in the medical bay." Jess answered unsteadily.

"Here. I'll take her." Becker volunteered.

"Okay. Emily, Abby cover Becker." Matt ordered as Connor's phone began to ring. "Connor, answer that phone and tell Philip exactly what's going on here."

"I'll fix this." Connor promised. "I'll make this right."

As Connor spoke, Dawn and Matt watched for incoming beetles. "Jess will be ok, won't she?" Dawn asked him quietly.

"Of course. She just needs an epi-pen" he assured her, then noticed Connor had hung up. "Okay what'd he say?"

"Oh, he's a bit distracted at the minute." Connor shrugged.

"What?" Matt and Dawn exclaimed together.

"Well I'm all out of ideas mate so it's your turn. We need something to deal with the whole ARC. Can we electrocute them? Use sonar?" Matt asked rapidly.

"Haven't got the equipment for that." Connor shook his head. "It's um… there is something."

"What?"

"Follow me."

He led them through the corridors, until noises from inside the walls drew their attention. "What was that?" asked Connor.

"They've developed a taste for the wiring." Matt answered.

"Yeah, that's not good news."

"Lester's gonna have a fit." Dawn muttered.

"Understatement. What's the plan?"

"I'm going to open my anomaly." Dawn shot a look at Matt, who made a slight face at her. "Recalibrate it to send out a pulse of Gamma rays. That should wipe out all the beetles at once."

Dawn choked slightly as Matt grabbed his arm to draw him to a stop. "That'll kill everything in the ARC!"

"Never said it was a perfect plan." Connor winced, continued walking with Dawn and Matt scrambling behind him, eyes wide.

"It's all clear." Connor confirmed as they entered. "We've lost power in here."

"Well think of something else." Matt said quickly. He and Dawn glanced at each other uncomfortably.

"Hang on." Connor tapped the lamp and it binged into life. Dawn clenched his fist. "We still have power. Strange…"

"Connor can we just get on with figuring something else out?" Dawn questioned.

"See this… this doesn't… this is not beetle damage." He realised. Dawn's fingers tightened around her EMD as her stomach clenched as Connor continued to fiddle with it. "Might be able to retrieve some data from here." He mused.

"Just forget about it Connor." Matt snapped.

"But it doesn't make any sense!" he protested. "This looks like it's been… been blasted by an EMD. You did this. What? Was locking it not enough Matt? Do you not know how important all this work is?" his voice rose.

"We don't have enough time for this!" Matt told him. "We need to come up with a workable plan."

"I had a plan!"

"A Gamma ray would have killed everybody Connor!" Matt protested. Dawn rubbed her head.

"Guys please." She said tiredly, exhaustion suddenly washing through her.

"There's no adrenaline left in the building!" Abby told them as she rushed in. "Get Philip to lift lockdown or Jess is gonna die."

Connor dialled and put it on speaker. "_Connor_."

"Philip we need to get Jess to a hospital now." Connor said urgently.

"_I'm afraid that's impossible. We can't afford to breach the integrity of the ARC_."

"Philip, Jess could die!" Abby protested.

"_If these beetles get out thousands could die_!"

"Oh so what's the plan then? You gonna just leave us in here?" Abby snapped.

"_We predict that these beetles will be through the outer wall within 10 minutes. That's the time limit. There is another way to neutralize this threat given the whole city is at risk._" Phillip trailed off.

"Well thanks for telling us earlier." Muttered Dawn sarcastically.

"Tell us what it is Philip." Connor asked.

"_An auto destruct program was built into the ARC operating system. If activated the ARC and everything in it will be incinerated_." Dawn jerked back slightly while Matt reached out and immediately cancelled the call.

"The radiation from the Gamma ray, would it penetrate lead?" asked Matt.

"Depends on how thick it is." Connor answered quietly.

"Would we be safe in the panic room?"

"Well maybe but why are we even talking about this? We can't do it you fried my hard drive, remember?" Connor snapped. Matt ignored him.

"If you had a back up hard drive could you restart the anomaly?"

"Matt." Abby protested sharply, glancing at Dawn.

"Well I don't have a backup hard drive. April said it was a security risk- where you going? What's going on?" Connor questioned bemusedly as Matt darted out. Dawn wrapped her arms around herself.

"Your hero is prepared to kill you and all of us, that's what's going on!" Abby snapped at him. She reached out and squeezed Dawn's shoulder reassuringly. Matt was back within minutes and he chucked the USB on the table.

"We copied your hard drive." He explained flatly.

"I don't understand." Dawn ducked her head as he looked at them confusedly. "One of you were in my lab?"

"I was. I copied it without you noticing." Dawn raised her head and met his gaze.

"On my orders." Matt added.

"And I was waiting around the corner while she was doing it." Abby told him.

"Abby!" hissed Dawn. Abby reached for her hand.

"I'm not letting you take this alone." She murmured to her.

"Is this what it's come down to? You three just sneaking around and plotting against me?" pain lanced through his voice.

"We had to!" Abby stepped forward slightly. "You wouldn't listen to us."

He gazed at them in silence until Matt spoke up. "We'll deal with this later. Right now you've got work to do."

They waited in silence while he worked, Abby watching the hole in the wall and Dawn watching the corridor. "No sign of beetles." Abby said.

"I still don't get what we're doing." Dawn admitted.

"Once the anomaly's been reopened Connors gonna collapse it. Basically send it's energy into reverse." Matt explained.

"Like when you lock an anomaly?" Abby questioned.

"Way, way more intense than that. The pressure'll be so great it will produce a great blast of energy."

Connor glanced between them unhappily. "Gamma radiation."

"And that'll kill them?" Abby checked.

"Yeah that should do the trick. If it works." He amended.

"Well that's comforting." Dawn muttered.

"It'll be like an explosion ripping though the ARC." Matt continued. "Any living thing that's not in the panic room will be wiped out."

"Abby what about the creatures?" Connor asked.

"Well the cells are lead lined. They'll be okay." She told him. "As okay as us anyway." There was a silence. "Right I better get the others to the panic room. What about you two?"

"Once this is open there'll be time for us to get there. And take Dawn with you, she's not any use here." Matt instructed.

"Is that true? This isn't some noble sacrifice Armageddon thing where you blow yourselves up to save the rest of us?" Abby checked.

"Well I hope not. If I'm honest." Connor gave a weak laugh. Dawn frowned, not entirely believing them but Abby nodded.

"Good. C'mon Dawn." She said, but didn't leave.

"We'll be fine. Go." Connor encouraged. Their eyes met for a few seconds, until Abby nodded and she and Dawn left. They ran down.

"Abby, Dawn!" Emily called. "The beetles got down here!"

"We know! Phillip won't let us out!" Abby jogged towards them. "We have to get to the panic room."

"There's a panic room?"

"Yeah. C'mon." she gestured to Becker, who scooped up Jess and followed them.

"Emily this way." Abby led them, keeping an eye out for beetles. She opened the room, closing the doors behind them.

"We're losing her." Becker said as he lowered Jess to the floor.

"It'll be okay. Connor and Matt will get us out." Abby said confidently. Dawn knelt by Becker and Jess, concern flickering through her.

"Rex." Abby suddenly remembered. "He's still in my lab."

"Abby he's not. He got out." Emily told her, not realising the implications of that.

"What? I gotta find him." She yanked open the door, ignoring the calls and yells.

"Dawn Cutter, don't you dare!" Becker hollered when she scrambled up to follow the blonde.

"Becker…"

"No. Not you as well." He ordered. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, tears in her eyes as she realised she was facing losing more people she loved. "They'll be fine. They will be." He assured her, cradling Jess. Before long though he passed her to Emily, who tried to bring her temperature down while Dawn monitored her pulse. "Where the hell are they?!" Becker exclaimed, just before there were two knocks on door and he let the two men in.

"Where's Abby?" asked Connor.

"She went to find Rex." Emily answered.

"No…" he bolted for the doors, also blanking them when they called out to him. Dawn felt her stomach twist even harder as she counted in her head. She'd got to three minutes and her heart had sunk, when they both stumbled in. She sighed in relied but nobody spoke.

Emily bent over Jess while Connor and Abby were wrapped around each other over Rex, and Matt crouched next to Dawn with an arm over her. They all winced and flinched as sparks flew. "Okay…" Matt breathed.

"We're still alive?" Emily questioned.

"Don't sound so surprised." Connor said dryly, standing. Matt grinned.

"Always knew the plan would work."

"You okay?" Connor asked Abby.

"Yeah." Becker slammed the button on the door to open it. "Becker wait! We don't know if it's safe yet."

"She needs adrenaline." He said flatly, before leaving. Dawn checked Jess's pulse again, frowning unhappily.

"See, he did it." Connor said to Matt. "He aborted the program. Cause if he hadn't we'd all be burnt alive by now."

It seemed an eternity before Becker ran in, ripping open the packet and injecting the adrenaline into Jess's leg. "Five, four, three, two one." He counted quietly. They all looked to her.

"Her pulse is getting stronger." Abby smiled, her hand wrapped around the wrist Dawn didn't have. Jess coughed, opening her eyes.

"Hey." Becker said softly. Jess smiled weakly at him. Dawn grinned as Becker glanced up, flushing as he realised they were all watching. "I'm um… I'm gonna… I'm gonna go do some security stuff." He gestured away from him but Dawn reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"No you're not. Stay." She glared at him when he tried to argue and he obediently sat down again. They all knowingly smirked at each other behind his back until it was finally safe to leave. Dawn was exhausted and while Becker took Jess home via the hospital the rest of them began the clean up operation.

"Dawn!" the teenager looked up at the call, smiling weakly at a worried Jenny.

"Hey." She greeted, pushing herself up. She'd barely straightened when she found herself bought into a tight embrace. She stiffened for a moment but relaxed into it, resting her head on Jenny's shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're OK." Jenny whispered to her. Dawn simply buried her face deeper.

"I thought she was going to die." She confessed in a murmur. "I thought I was going to watch her die and there was nothing I could do."

"It wasn't your responsibility." Jenny soothed, drawing back slightly so she could study her face. Dawn shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. I should have been able to do something…"

"Like what?" Jenny questioned. "Dawn, you did all you could. You helped save her. Jess is alive and safe Dawn- she's going to be fine."

"I know. I know…" Dawn nodded tearfully, a part of her horrified at how emotional she was being but another just glad Jenny was there. Jenny didn't say anything else, just wrapped her arms around her until she'd calmed down slightly.

"I need to get back to work- we're stuffed if there's an alert at the moment." Dawn pulled away, giving her a weak smile before she vanished from the room. She hadn't made it down the corridor though, when she got a text from Connor asking to meet in one of the labs. Connor, Matt and Abby were already there when she arrived. "What's this about Connor?" Dawn asked him curiously.

He explained what he'd seen at Prospero, casting an apologetic look at the teen when he bought her mother up. "I should have listened to you all." He said. "It's just I felt like I was carrying on Cutters work, and that he might be proud of me. Somehow."

"Do you think Philip still trusts you?"

"Yeah. And I'm willing to do anything- anything- I can to make this right. But there's something I need to tell you. The machine I made in my lab. It's just a prototype. Philip built another one. It's a hundred times its size, and it's infinitely more powerful and now he's got the key. And he knows how to open his anomaly because I showed him how. It's too late. There's no way we can stop him now."


	22. Chapter 22

"There'll be a way to stop it Con. There always is." Dawn comforted him. "I just don't understand why mum would care about energy."

"Maybe she knew that New Dawn is going to go wrong." Emily pointed out

"No, even at her craziest Helen was always trying to stop the destruction of the world." Abby negated with a shake of her head.

"Than maybe that's what New Dawn is all about." suggested Matt. "Maybe she thought it was going to help, not realising that it's the very thing that destroys everything."

"Wouldn't that be ironic." Dawn commented dryly. "After all she went through."

"Um, just a question but what are we telling the others? After all these secrets I'm not sure I want to keep lying to them…" Connor asked. They three girls glanced at Matt.

"I don't know." He admitted. "There's other stuff you don't know Connor…"

"Like what?"

Matt flailed uncertainly. "I think we should tell everyone everything." Dawn said suddenly.

"What?" asked Emily.

"Look, they're not idiots. If Connor starts acting differently with us they're going to know something's up. They might be able to help."

"She's right." Matt looked around at them. "We need to bring the others in."

Abby nodded, glancing at Connor. "Okay. Let's do it. Let's tell the others."

"Tell the others what?" Jenny asked from the doorway, tilting her head at them suspiciously. They all looked alarmed, especially when Jess and Becker appeared behind her.

"Jess!" Dawn cried happily. "I thought you were at the hospital!"

"They released me, with a new epi-pen prescription just in case." She grimaced as the three entered. "Now what's going on?"

"Matt can explain." Dawn volunteered quickly. He scowled at her but began to explain to the others about everything, provoking anger from them.

"You've been lying to us ever since we met you!" Becker accused flatly.

"It was necessary."

"Hang on." Jess stopped them. "You three knew about this as well, and not one of you thought to say anything?"

"It wasn't our secret to tell Jess!" Emily protested.

"How did you know he was safe? If he's been lying about this, what else has he been lying about?" Becker questioned.

"That's ridiculous." Abby sighed.

"Becker, Jenny when have I ever been wrong about someone?" Dawn asked them. They both hesitated. "Exactly. Growing up basically surrounded by strangers ninety five percent of the time did have its uses. I trust Matt, and I definitely do not trust Phillip. I know only you've actually seen the future Becker, but if there's even the smallest chance that we can prevent it shouldn't we do that?"

The three glanced between each other, conversing silently. "So what's the plan?" Jenny asked finally. They all beamed.

"First, we need to tell Lester." Matt grimaced. "Then we need to figure out if Phillip as a timescale he's working to."

"Lester should be arriving in the morning. He's out of the country." Jess informed them.

"In which case I suggest we go home, get some rest and enjoy a final night of sanity." Matt said. They all nodded, Becker and Jess were the first to leave while Abby and Connor followed them son after.

"I'll wait for you in the car." Dawn said to Emily, recognising that Matt probably needed her for a moment. Jenny followed her out.

"Dawn." she called her to a stop. "You really trust him?"

"I do." Dawn nodded. "I know he lied Jen but it was for a good reason. Phillip- he's… misguided. Especially considering he was in league with my mother. And I'd sooner trust Matt about the whole subject than anyone else at the moment."

Jenny studied her for a moment, and then nodded. "Ok." She said simply. "I'll see you in the morning."

"So I leave you for a matter of days and in that time you-" Lester pointed to Connor "-nearly destroy the ARC and you-" he turned to Matt- "turn out to be either a visitor from the future or, in fact- and I think this is the more likely option- clinically mad."

"The former." Matt interjected. "But then I would say that if I was clinically mad right?"

"Don't you have security checks for this sort of thing?" Lester asked Becker, who raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry sir the machine that checks whether people are from the future was out of order."

"I'll do the sarcasm if you don't mind. So Philip was in league with Helen and the machine he's building is the trigger to the end of the world."

"In a nutshell." Matt confirmed. Lester sighed.

"I'll talk to the minister see if I can get a DA25, get him shut down."

"As last minute attempts to save the world go, that's very bureaucratic." Connor raised his eyebrows.

"Do we have an alternative?" Lester questioned in irritation.

"Yes." Matt said, going to stand near Connor. "I go to New Dawn and shut it down."

"I gave him the security codes; he's got the schematics to the whole building, if he can make it to the machine he should be able to sabotage it." Connor explained.

"I'm going to need you to distract Philip and keep him away from the machine and buy me some time, okay?" Matt asked him. They all fell silent as the door opened, and the man himself entered. Dawn and Jenny made a face at each other.

"What an awkward silence." Phillip commented. "Anything I should know?"

They all froze. "No, no, no, no. Purely routine." Lester assured him.

"He's annoyed Connor destroyed the ARC without the proper paperwork." Dawn quipped. Lester rolled his eyes.

"Yes thank you Dawn. Dismissed everyone." They all slowly moved to leave. "Come on, those dinosaurs don't chase themselves."

They all left, and as they did so Dawn caught sight of Peter Casey standing at a corner. She broke off from the others, smiling at him followed him around into the shadows. "Hi." She greeted.

"Hey." He leant down to kiss her, brushing a lock of her hair back as he did so. "So, how did your super secret meeting go?"

"It was fine." She smiled. "How was training?"

"Boring. So I was wondering-" he was cut off by the anomaly alert.

"Hold that thought." Dawn murmured, kissing him once again before sprinting towards the ADD. Only to be stunned into silence as Jess bought up the news pictures.

"This changes everything." Abby whispered.

"What on earth am I supposed to do about this?" Jenny questioned in disbelief.

"Not exactly the moment for standing around watching the telly." Lester prompted them. "Matt, I'm going to see the minister. I'll be in touch. Oh and if someone could help Jenny think of a cover story for the six o'clock news?"

"Okay the plan stays exactly the same." Matt organised them. "Jess you coordinate, Abby, Becker, Emily you're on the T-Rex. Dawn help Jenny, Connor keep Philip here."

Dawn wrapped her arms around herself. "What are we going to do?" she asked Jenny, who simply wrapped an arm around her.

"We do our jobs." She said firmly. "Come on."

Dawn glanced at Connor as he trailed after Phillip and he nodded at her discretely, gaining a weak smile from her. "Right." She said, turning to Jenny. "Holographic publicity stunt?"

They sat at a desk and poured over ideas, becoming more and more stressed as time went on. "Genetic experiment gone wrong?" Jenny suggested.

"But they're gonna want and need someone to blame." Dawn sighed. They both looked around as the anomaly alert sounded again? "Jess?"

"What have we got now?" Connor asked.

"It's a second anomaly." She answered, then paused in shock. "I don't believe it."

Jenny and Dawn rushed over. "No. No that must be some kind of glitch." Connor stared at the screens. "Please let this be some kind of glitch."

"Oh my God…" Jenny whispered.

"The anomalies they… they're opening up everywhere." Connor looked horrified.

"All over the world." Jess looked at him, stunned.

"It's happening." Dawn whispered.

"This is it. Convergence is coming." Phillip looked excited. "We're about to make history."

"Jess, on the system there's a file called 'Creature Care, 1st draft'. Open it and activate the computer code inside." Dawn instructed. They all looked at her in confusion but Jess did as she said.

"What… what is this?" she questioned as lines whizzed over the screen.

"I've known this could happen for a while. 'Creature Care' is actually a set of protocols for when it did."

"I don't understand…" Connor said.

"You may have discarded your theories on convergence Connor but I didn't. Matt and I have been preparing for it- there are groups of Becker's man placed up and down the country, foreign governments have been briefed on the anomalies and provided with ways to deal with them and…" she leant over to type into the computer. "… A cover story of hallucinogenic gas from an old warehouse has just gone out to the media."

They all stared at her, impressed. "Wow." Jess murmured. "Maybe I can be replaced."

Dawn smiled at her. "Nah." She disagreed. Phillip looked at Connor.

"Let's leave the cleaning up job to the others." He prompted, walking away. Connor looked at the three of them.

"Good luck." He told them. Jess smiled weakly.

"You too." He ran off and she turned back to her screens, removing her scarf. "Call in everyone who's off shift. I don't care where they are, they're on duty. There's going to be so many of you out in the field I'm going to assign team names. Alpha, Delta and so on." She glanced at Dawn. "Do you have details of the teams already in place?"

"Yeah, they're there." She pointed them out. "There are none in London- I figured the ARC would cover that. The teams' instructions are to simply deal with incursions and anomalies as normally as possible until you contact them on a secure channel."

"Okay." Jess nodded, contacting Matt. "Matt you're not going to believe it- the anomalies, they're opening around the world."

"_It means it starts now_." He acknowledged. Jess looked confused.

"Just go with it." Dawn advised. "Where do you want me?"

"And me." Jenny added. They both looked at her. "I'm needed and I have done it before, remember?" she pointed out. Jess nodded.

"Okay." She looked at the screens. "I don't know where to start…"

"Jess." Dawn gripped her shoulder. "The contingency plans are there for a reason. Those soldiers have already been briefed and can cope- concentrate on the ones who haven't, okay?" she spoke calmly. Jess nodded.

"I just need you here for the moment. You know these plans better than me, you'll be more help." She said. Dawn nodded, and got to work organising the soldiers and sending reinforcements where needed. Jenny was on her phone, fielding calls and dealing with questions.

"Can you imagine how much worse this would have been without the contingency plans?" she murmured at one point. Dawn looked at her.

"Why do you think I made them?"

They worked for a while, on the whole sending medics when needed and redirecting the teams to various incursions. "Connor, do you read me?" Jess asked in concern. There was no answer.

"Probably a coms malfunction." Dawn suggested, distracted by the team dealing with the mammoth.

"Probably. But delta team is having problems with their locking device- do we have any spares?" Jess questioned.

"Not here. They're all in the field." Dawn shook her head. Jess cursed.

"Becker, Abby, I need you to split up. Delta units locking device is malfunctioning." She told them through coms. There was a pause.

"_Okay Jess, I'm on it_." Becker replied. "_Where are they_?"

Jess had sent him their location and started on the next team when Abby came through, panicked. "_Connor was in a car accident, he just called me_! _I'm headed there now_."

"Is he ok?" Dawn questioned worriedly.

"_I think so. He said he was trapped._"

"Damn it, I needed her on an incursion in an office not far from here." Jess cursed.

"Well send us." Jenny shrugged. "We can handle it."

"You sure?"

Dawn nodded, hopping up. "Course. Just send us the coordinates." They each grabbed a black box and passed over control of their particular teams to Jess, who looked a little overwhelmed. Dawn kissed her cheek. "You'll do fine." She assured her, before she and Jenny raced out to the offices.

"Now I've got Déjà vu." Jenny muttered as they entered, EMD's at side.

"From when?"

"My first day, actually. Slug things that lived in fog." Jenny made a face.

"I think I remember Abby and Connor talking about that, actually. Something about garden centres." She smiled at the memory of the grouchy two afterwards. A scraping noise distracted the both of them and they froze, peeking around the corner. "Diictodons!" Dawn beamed happily.

"Like Sid and Nancy?"

"Yep!" she grinned, kneeling down in front of the creature. "Least they're not carnivorous."

"Yeah but if I remember correctly they were impossible to get back through!" Jenny had to smile thought at the cute creature. "And don't even think about this one as well."

Dawn froze, looking sad. "I should get Sid and Nancy. They could go home."

"We don't have time. We just have to get this little guy and his friends back through, and then lock it." She said, smiling when Dawn brightened and didn't argue. With difficulty, the corralled all of the creatures into one room where the anomaly was but then got stuck. Jenny tried picking one up and putting him through manually, hoping the others would follow but instead he reappeared with three more in tow. Dawn giggled. Jenny crossed her arms. "Okay. You think of something."

Dawn shrugged. "Sure." She unshouldered her bag and withdrew something green and leafy. Before Jenny could ask, she bent down to let a few of the creatures sniff it and then threw it through the anomaly. To Jenny's surprise, the creatures all scampered after it and Dawn locked the anomaly behind them, smiling smugly at Jenny. "You were saying?"

"Smart arse." She muttered, just as a soldier limped in.

"Ma'ams." He nodded at both of them. "Miss Parker sent me to guard the anomaly."

"It's all locked. Leads to the late Permian period, but we think we've dealt with the only incursion." Dawn told him. He nodded, taking the controls from her and she and Jenny headed back downstairs. "Jess? We've finished, where do you want us?"

"_Hang on a moment Dawn_." came Lester's voice. She raised her eyebrows.

"James?" there was a silence.

"_Okay, can you head to The Natural History Museum? We have reports of an incursion there._" Jess replied.

"Are you sure? It _is_ full of fossils…" Dawn questioned and could almost hear them roll their eyes.

"Of course I'm sure!" replied Jess indignantly.

"What about Connor? Is he OK?" Jenny asked.

"_He's fine. He and Abby are on their way to Prospero._" She answered. Dawn and Jenny began to make their way across London, the older woman drumming her fingers in irritation at the traffic jam until Jess came over coms. "_All units be advised the anomalies… the anomalies have all closed._" Jess's voice was calm and collected, the only sign of her stress the small break half way through her sentence. "_Our priority is now creature containment, and civilian response. Individual instructions will be given shortly._"

Dawn and Jenny exchanged a worried glance and Dawn switched onto a private channel. "Jess? What's going on?"

"_I don't know. They just all closed._" Came the answer.

"That's… very not good." Dawn bit her lip.

"_Look, I have another team closer to the museum. Can you two return to the ARC_?" Jess requested. Jenny sounded their affirmation and swung the car around, ignoring the honks and protests from other drivers.

"I don't understand. Why is it bad?" she asked.

"The anomalies are a result of the magnetic poles of the earth. Every million years they reverse- it's completely normal, it's supposed to happen and life on earth can and will adapt. Preventing convergence will affect the reverse- it could be catastrophic. Not to mention the fact that the anomalies are infinitely powerful. Burton is completely insane if he thinks he can control one."

"Connor said that the power of the anomalies fluctuates." Jenny remembered as she turned into the ARC.

"Exactly. He said Burton's machine is a hundred times the size of the one in his lab- the anomaly is going to be huge. Bigger than the one that G-Rex came through." Dawn explained. Jenny bit her lip.

"But Jess said all the anomalies closed, that she wasn't picking any up." They entered the lifts, punching the button for the hub.

"Phillip might have a cloaking device, or the anomaly might be working on a slightly different frequency since it's manmade. Or the ADD might have just overloaded." Dawn shrugged. They entered the room, quickly spotting Jess in front of the ADD.

"Hey." Dawn called in greeting. She both looked up, and attempted a weak smile. They crossed to her, just as everything went dark.

"What just happened?" questioned Jenny uncertainly.

"I… I don't know." Jess stuttered. Around them, the hum of the ARC powered down until it was painfully silent. They looked around and not even the emergency lighting was on.

"What could have caused this?"

"A complete electrical outage?" Jess suggested.

"But why aren't the generators working?" pointed out Dawn.

"I'll go look?" Jenny offered.

"No!" Jess and Dawn both cried. She paused.

"Okay…" she agreed slowly. Just then, low lighting flickered on and the ADD screens came to life.

"Oh, yay." Jess smiled slightly.

"You okay?" Lester called out to them as he walked up. "What happened? Did Philip not pay the electricity bill?"

"Some kind of electrical surge. Everything went dead. We're on emergency power. The system is fried- the detector's offline, and I can't get through to anyone on coms." Jess explained.

"Okay, we'll just get someone to fix it." He shrugged, placing a hand on Dawn's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Everyone is out in the field." Jess answered. "And I don't think the power outage is restricted to the ARC."

"Philip's infernal machine…" cursed Lester.

"The good news is that the media won't be able to air anything or print while it is off." Dawn pointed out. On the desk, the phone rang.

"Now I've seen it all. Mobile phone reception when you really need it." Lester said dryly.

"It's Becker." She told him. She handed the phone to Lester, who listened.

"We've lost touch with him. Get to New Dawn and find out what's going on." Lester ordered. Becker said something else and Lester hung up. "Good man. Good man." He repeated.

"So what now?" asked Dawn.

"Now we wait." Lester said grimly. He retreated to his office while Jenny went to her own to try to get ahead on some work. Dawn watched Jess work at the ADD for a while before going to join Lester in his office, her mother's diary in her hand.

"I'd have thought you had that memorised by now." Lester said when he noticed.

"I practically do." Dawn admitted with a smiled. "But maybe I missed something that could help."

She was curled in one of his chairs while he paced slightly and she mostly ignored him until he rushed over to the door suddenly. "Any news?" he asked Jess urgently.

She shook her head. "No." she entered and went to stand near Dawn, rubbing a hand up and down her arm. "What if they failed? And this is the beginning of the end just like Matt said." She asked suddenly, upset. "What if they're all dead?"

"They're not dead Jess, and it's not the end of the world." Lester told her in his usual tone. "If it was someone would have sent us a memo."

She gave a small smile, his dry sarcasm strangely calming her. Dawn reached out and caught her hand. "They'll be fine Jess. You'll go mad if you don't think like that."

"You know what my father used to say when things got rough?" Lester questioned. "Where's that ruddy whiskey?"

Both Dawn and Jess giggled slightly, until Jess stiffened. "Oh no." she breathed,

"Don't tell me you're a teetotal." Lester glanced at her. Dawn frowned, following her gaze and paling as she stood shakily.

"There's… there's…" she stuttered in a whisper. Lester turned with a frown, freezing himself.

"Don't… don't make a sound." He ordered. The two girls stood together with their hands entwined, faces full of fear.

"Jenny…" Dawn whispered as softly as she could, looking at him. He shot her an apologetic look.

"There's nothing we can do right now." He murmured to her, reaching out to tug her and Jess under the desk. Dawn pressed against him, trembling slightly and he knew she was thinking of the last few times she'd run into the creatures. He wrapped an arm around her and pretended not to notice when she huddled into him, her fingers pressed to the scars hidden underneath her jacket.

"What are you doing?" he whispered when at one point, he noticed Jess on her phone.

"Texting Becker."

He nodded slightly, turning his attention to the EMD in his hands. It clicked and hummed, making them all wince slightly. "What is it?" Jess hissed.

"Almost of out power." He breathed. "I've got one shot, maybe two. It's not going to be enough."

"The only other weapons left would be in the armoury." Dawn pointed out quietly.

"Right." Lester glanced over his shoulder. "I need to get to the armoury then."

"Shouldn't we stay here?" Jess whispered urgently with wide eyes. "Becker will get the message, he'll come!"

"We need protection. Just… the both if you stay here ok?" he ordered in a whisper.

"No!" they both protested, then winced. They all stayed frozen, listening and searching for signs of the predators. After a few minutes, Dawn dared to speak.

"You can't go alone. You'll either have to leave us with no protection or have none yourself and that's just stupid."

He looked torn. "Fine. Let's go." they began to creep through the ARC, Jess going barefoot when her shoes made too much noise. They made it to the armoury without incident, but stared in shock at how empty it was. "Where is everything?"

"All the teams are out in the field but I thought there'd be more than this left." Jess replied in a murmur.

"No- all the spare stuff went to the teams we posted as part of the preparation. We've been taking it for weeks, leaving only a little extra for here." Dawn whispered. Lester handed Jess the EMD, while he and Dawn began to search through the boxes.

Lester found a gun and clicked the button, wincing at the small noise but then frowning. "No power…"

"Power packs." Jess hissed. He hurried over, opening the box and withdrawing one with a smile.

"Yes…" he let go of the box and it knocked the one behind it to the floor. They froze.

"We need to go." Dawn breathed. There were noises from outside the room however, and they could only listen as the predator got closer and closer.

And suddenly it was there in front of them, snarling and clicking and Jess, not knowing any different, gasped in fright. Lester instinctively reached out, grabbed Dawn from where she'd moved closer to him and pulled her behind him, sending her sprawling before turning to Jess just the creature hunkered to spring. He reached out, yanking her back as it leapt and heard her scream before everything went black.

Dawn stumbled to her feet, snatched the EMD out of Jess's hands and fired, knocking the thing out as it leant over Lester. She grabbed the power pack from where it had fallen to the floor, jamming it in after a few tries and slinging the gun over her shoulder, ignoring the flaring pain in her head. "Help me move him!"

Jess seemed in shock but she did so, helping Dawn drag him down the corridor back to the main operations room and the teenager had never been so thankful that it wasn't far from the armoury. "Dawn?" Jess whispered tearfully but she shushed her, listening for approaching creatures. She could hear clicks and creaks from somewhere, but it didn't sound too near and so she relaxed, dropping to kneel beside them and quickly removing her jacket to press against Lester's wound. "Where's Jenny?" Jess questioned.

"Hopefully… hopefully lying low in her office." Dawn swallowed, clenching and unclenching her hands a few times to get rid of the tremors.

"Are you hurt?" Jess whispered, noticing the blood on her head. Dawn glanced at her in surprise, pressing her hand against the wound Jess was looking at as she lowered herself next to her.

"I think I hit something when James pushed me down." she murmured, wincing as the sharp throbbing now became more pronounced. The other girl reached up and touched her head lightly- Dawn flinched with a small cry. "Ouch." She whispered, probing the area with her fingers. She leant her head back, listening intently around her.

"Dawn?" Jess nudged her, and it took her a few seconds to respond.

"Mm?"

"Dawn. Please stay awake." Jess whispered frantically.

"I am. Just… my head." Dawn mumbled. Jess suppressed a sob as her eyes flickered closed, and then stiffened when there was a small noise from close by. She was dangerously close to hyperventilating and straining to hear over the thump thump thump of her heart. There was a noise from right beside her and she gasped, whimpering as she swung the EMD up but instead of a predator, Becker stood there.

"Hey, hey hey." He knelt beside her and she sobbed in relief, still whimpering slightly. "Jess. You're all right now, we're here." Becker comforted her.

"Abby, keep a lookout." Matt ordered. He was bent over Dawn while Emily had her fingers pressed against Lester's wound, concern flickering over her face. Dawn stirred when Matt pressed against her check to check her pulse, jerking away from him.

"Hey, it's OK. Just us." He assured her. She blinked.

"Ow." She grimaced. She shook her head slightly to clear it, then winced as it became apparent that was an exceptionally bad idea.

"Are you alright?" Matt checked. She smiled weakly at him.

"Not my first concussion. I'll be fine. Have you seen Jenny?"

"No, she hasn't popped up yet." He emphasised the yet. "Okay. Let's get a drip in Lester and seal him in the medical bay. That's all we can do for now, right? Jess? Jess how many were there?" he asked as Emily moved around to check Dawn over for herself.

"Um… four or five, maybe more." Jess struggled.

"Becker, check the corridor. James?" he attempted to wake his boss up but was interrupted by Connor.

"The entire video systems down, every feed." Connor whispered, faltering slightly as he saw Lester and Dawn.

"Connor!"

"I need to get to my lab. I need to get to that anomaly." Connor explained.

"Okay James." Matt nodded to Connor and they helped him to his feet. "Come on. All right, let's go, one, two, three. Deep breath. Just breathe."

Emily had an arm around Dawn as the girl swayed a little unsteadily. "I need to find Jenny." Dawn said stubbornly.

"She'll be fine." Emily soothed. Dawn shook her head.

"No, you don't understand. I need to find her." she repeated, trembling. Emily led her gently over to where Jess was.

"We're all gonna die aren't we. We're gonna die." The girl sobbed.

"Course not." Abby told her. She glanced around. "Jess. Have you got a laptop here?"

"Yeah. Yeah."

"Good. Don't worry I've got an idea. It's gonna be okay. Listen- we have beaten these creatures before. Dawn is living proof. We'll beat them again. Alright?"

Jess nodded tearfully, pushing herself straight and rushing to get the laptop. "Your secret weapon is sound?" Emily questioned, one arm around Dawn and the other holding the EMD up.

"Not exactly, but the disrupter sound should seriously mess them up. They work on sonar. It means they pick up infrasound. Low pitched noises way beyond our hearing. I'm going to overload their nasty little brains." She smiled.

"Abby that's genius." Dawn exclaimed quietly.

"Will it be enough to kill them?" asked Emily.

"No but it will-should slow them down enough for us to shot them." Abby explained. "Just access this file…"

They all gasped as a creature appeared suddenly, clicking as Emily fired at it, pushing Dawn back. She hunkered down near Jess, squeezing her hand tightly as Abby joined Emily in firing at it, until it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Where did it go?" Emily hissed. Dawn frowned, looking up at the ceiling, remembering the scene from Oliver Leeks compound.

"Wait here." Abby ordered in a whisper. She began to creep forward, and Dawn didn't have time to shout out a warning as the creature knocked her sideways, her EMD skidding away from her.

"I'm out!" Emily shouted frantically as her EMD simply hummed. It loomed over Abby- oh God, please don't let her end up like Sarah- as it clicked and creaked and Dawn looked frantically around for something to help. It was no use though, as it raised its arm and prepared to strike.

And then Becker was there, firing at it and knocking it away from her. "That's the first one I've managed to hit." Becker smirked cheerfully, helping Abby to her feet.

"Thank you." She told him sincerely, a small smile on her face. And then spotted the creature that was coming towards them. "BECKER!"

He fired at it as she scrambled over to the laptop, finishing her command and sending the sound wave echoing through the ARC. And the creature froze, just where it was, its' mouth gaping open. "Oh my God…" breathed Dawn, straightening from her position and staring at it in a sort of fascinated repulsion. Becker moved closer to it, peering at it before he began to circle it. "Becker be careful!" Dawn called worriedly. He glanced at her, shooting her a smile before he raised his EMD and fired shot after shot into its head.

"Nice plan Abby." He complimented. She smiled at him breathlessly.

"Well that's three down anyway." Emily commented.

"Keep an eye out for other ones anyway, just in case the effect isn't lasting. I'm going to check on Connor and Matt." Becker jogged away.

"I'm going to look for Jenny." Dawn said.

"Hang on, I'll come with you if Emily's okay staying with Jess?" Abby looked at Emily, who nodded. The two darted off- Jenny's office was on the ground floor, so if she had a meeting they didn't have to traipse through the ARC.

"Jen? Jenny?" Dawn called. Abby watched her in concern- she was positive the girl had concussion, but she seemed to be functioning okay now. "She's not here."

"Is that good or bad?" Abby questioned, looking around. There were no signs of a struggle and thankfully no blood.

"I don't know." They hurried through the corridors, searching through empty room after empty room but finding nothing. And as they went, Abby got more and more worried, wondering where the brunette woman could have gone.

Dawn rounded a corner lost in thought and yelped as she smacked straight into someone. "Jenny!" she hugged the woman tightly, relief coursing through her.

"Oof! Hey sweetie." Jenny greeted. Abby embraced her tightly as soon as Dawn had drawn back.

"Where've you been? We've been worried sick!"

"Playing hide and seek with a future predator." Jenny grimaced. "It was about to find me when it sort of just froze… did you guys do that?"

"Abby did." Dawn grinned. "I'll deal with the predator."

She grabbed the EMD from Abby and skipped off, returning just minutes later. "All done." She said cheerfully.

"OK, let's get back to the others." They returned to find Connor, Matt and Becker ready to go and so climbed onto the car, leaving Jess at the ARC to keep an eye on things.

"Holy cr-" Dawn breathed at the first sight of the huge anomaly, before Jenny cut her off sternly.

"Language!"

Becker came to a stop and they all jumped out. "Good thing nobody's seen that one." Dawn murmured to Jenny. "I have no idea how you'd cover that up."

"Neither do I." she said, eyes wide. She looked to Dawn, studying her. "Are you OK?"

Dawn bit her lip. "No. But are any of us?" she asked wryly.

"I suppose not." Jenny looked down in surprise when she felt Dawn's fingers entwine with hers, but Dawn said nothing, simply looking at the anomaly. And then she squealed.

"What?" questioned Jenny, looking at her. Dawn pointed to Matt and Emily, who were wrapped around each other.

"It took them long enough!" grinned Dawn. Matt broke away from Emily and jogged over to Becker.

"Ready?" he called.

"Ready." Becker confirmed. "Just need to secure the steering wheel…"

"I got that!" Matt swung himself into driver's seat and before anyone could do anything, he drove off, ignoring the shouts and calls of his name. He drove into the anomaly and Dawn watched as flashed and spun, becoming so bright she had to look away for a moment as she fought the winds it was generating. The anomaly spun, sucking in the remaining debris of the surrounding building before it simply shrunk, and disappeared.

Dawn looked up- beyond the smoke and dust generated the sun shone brightly against the blue sky in a strange juxtaposition of the events that had taken place.

Silently, they all stood and watched hopefully. Abby looked shocked, glancing around to see the damage while Becker wrapped his arms around a sobbing Emily. Dawn thought she saw a darkened figure coming towards them- she blinked and it was gone. And then it wasn't- _he_ wasn't. Emily pulled away from Becker and stood straight as they all stared in shock, trying to determine whether they were really seeing what they thought they were.

"Matt?" Emily cried as he finally emerged fully from the smoke. He caught her in a tight hug, the rest of them surrounding him as well, laughing in relief as he grinned.

"How did you survive?" Connor asked incredulously.

"I've no idea." He admitted. He didn't let go of Emily but turned to face the place where the anomaly had been.

"Do you think we did it? Do you think we changed the future?" Connor questioned.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." He decided.

"Matt?" Becker said from where he stood with an arm around Abby and Dawn. "What about my truck?" there was a pause. "No? Oh, well, I guess we'll just walk back to the ARC."

Dawn giggled, resting her head on his shoulder as he pulled her in tighter for a moment before they began to walk away from the site, laughing amongst themselves. Dawn reached out for Jenny's hand and the woman smiled at her, sliding an arm around her waist as they relished simply being alive.


	23. Chapter 23

"Oh, please, for goodness sake stop fussing. I'm perfectly capable of walking by myself." Lester's voice rang through the hub and Jess and Dawn both looked around with bright smiles as they saw Becker pushing the man in a wheelchair from where they stood near the ADD.

"Here we are." Becker came to a stop, exchanging a grin with Dawn. "How are you feeling Lester?" he asked condescendingly, unable to resist teasing the man.

"What an idiotic question." Lester grouched. "How do you think I'm feeling?"

Dawn giggled, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm glad you're OK."

"It's so good to see you." Abby agreed, briefly gripping his shoulder. He smiled at them both.

"I take it this means we won then?" he hoisted himself to his feet, reaching out to grip Matt's hand. "You did it. Guess this means we're stuck with you now."

"I guess it does." Matt smirked.

"I think we should keep the uh whole man from the future thing just between ourselves, don't you? Minister's confused enough as it is." Lester rolled his eyes slightly.

"Well this is turning into a surprisingly good day." Connor beamed. They all looked at him in bemusement. "With us… saving the world and…" he trailed off when they all laughed slightly.

"Well I suppose that's the end of the anomalies." Lester mused.

"It is possible Philip's machine might have closed the anomalies forever." Matt realised.

"That'd be really weird, being normal again."

"What's normal?" Dawn questioned in amusement. Behind them, the phone rang in Lester's office and Jess ran to get it for him.

"Ah… only two people have got that number, one's the minister, the others my wife. Either way I think I'm in for an earful." He grimaced, taking it apprehensively. "James Lester. Understood." He hung up. "So much for being normal Connor. Train just left Kings Cross- disappeared into thin air." None of them moved. "Sorry, does that sound familiar to anyone? Anomalies? Chop chop!"

"Yep…" Connor muttered as they ran towards the ADD, Jenny moving to stand beside Lester.

"Everyone grab a black box! I'll get the system up and running." Jess instructed

"Let's go!" Matt ordered as they jogged out. They got down the garage, when Becker paused.

"Whose car shall we take?" he asked. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"I wrecked mine earlier." Shrugged Connor apologetically.

"And you drove Emily and I in this morning." Dawn reminded him. Abby raised her eyebrows.

"Guess we're taking mine then!"

"That's not enough seats…" Connor pointed out. Dawn groaned.

"This is ridiculous."

"We can take mine too!" Matt called, jogging up with Emily. He held up the keys. "But I refuse to have Becker in with me!"

"Hey!" he protested.

"I'll go with them!" Dawn volunteered. They took off and drew up at the station, being met by a rather stressed out manager. "You've stopped the trains running on this line?" Dawn checked. He nodded.

"Yes, of course."

"Let's go then." Becker said, handing out the EMD's and leading them into the darkened tunnel. "Abs, didn't you, dad and Uncle Steven have an anomaly like this before?" Dawn remembered. "The one where Uncle Steven ended up in hospital for about a week?"

"Ooh. Yeah." Abby blanched. "Everyone keep an eye out for giant spiders and centipedes, just in case."

"Giant spiders?" Becker questioned.

"Yeah. Don't worry, the centipede was the poisonous one and it's really hard to miss." Abby assured him. They hunted through the tunnels, until Emily suddenly yelped.

"Raptor!" she called out in warning. "Although I think it's a baby…"

The little thing came to just over her knee- it made snarling noises as it pressed against the wall, surrounded by the group. "That's not a baby…" Connor peered at it.

"Eoraptor?" Dawn suggested. "It's about the right size…"

"Earo… what?" Becker questioned.

"Eoraptor. It's from the late Triassic. This is about as big as they grow." Matt explained. While he and Connor ushered it back through the anomaly that was glowing just around the corner, the others began to search the surrounding tunnels, splitting up into two pairs.

"Hello? Who's there?" a voice called out. Dawn paused, glancing at Becker. The voice hadn't belonged to Abby or Emily- it had been male and they'd left the other boys in the opposite direction.

"Identify yourself!" Becker ordered, shining the light down the tunnel. A man in a London Underground jacket stumbled forward, raising his arm against the harsh light.

"I'm… I'm John. John Brunel. I was driving the train… there er…" he stuttered. Becker raised his eyebrows at Dawn.

"All yours." He muttered. She rolled her eyes.

"It's ok." She soothed the man. "Tell us what happened?"

"There… there was a thing. An… animal. Like this morning, so I stopped the train but I couldn't get the radio working to call anyone. I had to leave all the passengers where they are and there are other trains due…"

"It's ok, this line was closed." Becker told him frankly. "This animal, what'd it look like?"

The driver had paled, and pointed behind them. "Like that!"

Dawn and Becker spun, eyes wide. "Tell me that's an earo… whatever."

"Ah… not exactly. I think it's an Ischisaurus." Dawn stepped back slightly as it roared.

"Do you make this stuff up?" Becker asked incredulously.

"No! The good news it's from about the same time period so it probably came through the same anomaly."

"Oh. And the bad news?" he questioned suspiciously.

"It'd probably quite like to eat us right now."

"Great." He rolled his eyes.

"One of us could run…?" Dawn suggested slyly, glancing up at him. He nodded.

"Hmhm." And then he noticed her looking at him. "Oh no. I ran last time."

"It was worth a try." Dawn shrugged. She threw him her EMD and whistled piercingly. "Hey ugly! Over here!" she took of towards the anomaly, opening a coms link to Connor and Matt. "Connor! Unlock the anomaly- incoming!" she yelled down it as she barrelled through the tunnels, struggling to watch her feet and the walls at the same time as she jumped over the tracks. She skidded around the corner, relieved to see the anomaly open and threw herself to the side as the Ischisaurus screeched and jumped straight through.

"Someone else is definitely running next time." She panted as Connor locked the anomaly. "Found the train by the way."

It turned out that the anomaly's magnetic field had affected the drivers radio and everybody on board was perfectly fine, so after Becker had given instructions to a solider to guard it till it closed they left, piling tiredly back into the cars.

It was a sort of organised chaos when they'd arrived at the ARC for the fifth (or was it sixth?) time that day. Jess was dealing trying to input all the data from the black boxes that were being handed back to her and the soldiers had over double the numbers they usually did so were desperately trying (and not really succeeding) to avoid getting in each others way while more arriving all the time. Lester was holed up in his office, apparently yelling at someone on the phone while Jenny was tucked into a corner, typing rapidly on the laptop that sat on her lap. "Blimey. It's like a mad house in here." Connor commented.

"No kidding." Abby looked around them in astonishment. "Right, c'mon you. Let's get you seen by the medics." She dragged him off though the throngs of people, leaving Dawn glad she'd done that particular chore earlier.

"Alright." Matt looked around him. "Do we have a sound system I could speak into?"

"Um, yes." Dawn rolled her eyes. "It's built into the ADD."

Matt jogged over there, speaking quietly to Jess who nodded and waved him on without really looking up. He grabbed the microphone, tapping it a few times to make sure it was working before speaking into it. "Good evening everyone. First of all, I'd like say a huge well done to everyone. You all did amazing work today and should be very proud of yourselves." A round of applause and catcalls went up around the ARC at that, and even Matt smiled slightly. "Secondly, a huge round of applause to the wonderful Jess Parker, who for the idiots who don't know is the voice in your ear that did a fantastic job at organising everyone today." Another round of applause went up, along with several cheers. Jess went bright red but blew Matt a kiss. "And thirdly, I'd like a massive well done to go to Dawn Cutter, who for the last two months has been almost single handedly creating and putting into place the contingency plans that saved so many lives today." It was Dawn's turn to blush now, and she glanced down at her feet.

"For those of you who don't know, the official cover story put in place for everything that happened today is that Phillip Burton was behind a hallucinogenic gas that caused people to imagine creatures far worse than what was actually in front them. The creatures that were supposedly there have been declared as genetically modified breeds that escaped from Prospero industries. If any of you have any questions or concerns, please see our PR representative Jenny Lewis, who has had the unfortunate job of dealing with the media today.

"And now onto the far sadder note. As amazing a job you all did today, we did suffer many casualties and several losses. The medical staff request that you please don't all rush down to the infirmary- they're rather stretched at the moment so if you could wait a while to go see injured friends, it would be a massive help. However, if you are injured get yourself down there." At this, he shot a pointed glare to Dawn and Connor. "In total, it's believed we lost fifteen good soldiers today. Their families are being informed now, and memorial services will be held within the next few days. Captain Becker will post information about the families' wishes flowers, tributes and funeral arrangements as he gets them.

"And finally, anyone who isn't on duty is politely requested to bugger off, because you're making the place look untidy!" A laugh went up at that, and several of the soldiers began to file out. Jenny noticed Dawn watching them worriedly, her face drawn and tired as she searched through the dizzying array of faces. By this point, Becker had drifted over to Jess while Emily had gone to Matt, both men wrapping the women up in their arms.

And then Connor came raging in, fury written all over his face. "You're blaming Phillip for everything?!" he yelled angrily as he came to a halt in front of Jenny, who jumped in surprise at his sudden appearance.

"Connor…" she began as an out of breath Abby appeared behind him. But he cut of her, gesturing angrily.

"He died trying to save us today and you're dragging his memory through the dirt! How could you? Every news station and newspaper is telling people that it's all his fault!"

"Well it kind of is." Dawn pointed out. His eyes flashed angrily.

"No, it's your mothers' fault!" he spat. "Phillip doesn't deserve this! I mean, how could you all even-"

"Connor!" Matt yelled, cutting him off. "It's not a perfect solution mate, we all accept that. But it's the best explanation we can give without revealing the whole truth. We can hardly go around telling people that Phillip was influenced by a woman who has technically been dead over a decade, can we?"

"It's wrong." Connor said lowly, slightly calmer but clearly upset.

"I know mate. But it's necessary, yeah?" Matt looked at him, and he nodded morosely. Abby slipped her hand through his, leading him to the side slightly and everyone gradually relaxed. Although all of them had jobs to do, over the next hour none of them left the hub for more than a few minutes. Dawn was helping Jess organise all the data as well as the personnel and other resources while Becker was cherry picking the best men to stay on duty with Matt's help. Jenny was on the phone to various media outlets, Abby, Connor and Emily were filling in paperwork at a nearby table. Even Lester constantly drifted in and out.

"Jess? Who were the soldiers that died?" Dawn asked her quietly. Jess glanced up at her.

"I'm sorry, I don't have all their names yet. The mayhem today meant that not all of them have been immediately identified, some soldiers are still checking in." She apologised, looking at Dawn curiously about why she'd want to know. But Dawn quickly changed the subject, and bent her head over the ADD until Jess's phone rang on the table and she picked it up tiredly. "Jess Parker... Dawn? It's for you?"

She took it in confusion. "Hello?"

"_This is Craig on security at the front gate. I have an Amelia Lester here to see you? Is she...?_"

"Yeah. I'll be right there." She hopped up and went down to meet the smiling woman, calling out a greeting as she came into sight.

"Dawn! It's so lovely to see you again. How are you?" Amelia asked, as if the last time she'd seen her Dawn hadn't been falling apart. Dawn smiled at her genuinely, leading her into the ARC.

"I'm fine thank you. Yourself?"

"Well, the dinosaurs rampaging around London were a bit of a shock, but I must say this place dealt with it remarkably well." She remarked. Dawn froze. Amelia laughed when she saw her expression. "Oh please. I've been married for a long time, Dawn, I know more about my husband than he could possibly imagine."

"That's kind of scary." Dawn grinned.

"Thank you." She smiled. "Now how is he?"

"Exhausted, in pain and stubborn." Dawn grumbled. "He was injured but he refuses to go home. The entire team has tried to persuade him- he just pulls rank on us."

"That sounds like James." Amelia smiled indulgently. "Thank you for calling me."

"Oh trust me, it was partially for our sakes too." Dawn assured her. She laughed slightly as they exited the lift, crossing into the hub. The team raised a collective eyebrow at her, obviously wondering who the blonde was but she simply smiled and led her to Lester's office, not bothering to knock. "James, you have a visitor."

"Hello dear." Amelia smiled. He looked surprised, then annoyed.

"Dammit Dawn, did you really have to call her?" He sighed. Dawn just looked at him pointedly.

"Yep."

He sighed again. "Sorry 'Lia. Hello." He leant over and kissed her, obviously forgetting about the glass walls of his office. The team all reacted in shock, rather amusingly since Dawn couldn't hear exactly what they were saying.

"Home, James." Amelia ordered, raking her gaze up him just once. "Now." She said, before he could protest. He sighed, but collected his things with some difficulty.

"Very well."

A knock at the door drew their attention and Jess poked her head in. "Sorry." She apologised. "But I thought you'd want to know- the last team has finally returned, they're on their way up here now. Jenny thinks everything's under control media wise and Matt wants to know if he can send all non-essential personnel home? Most of them aren't getting much work done anyway."

"Yes, send them home. Just make sure the on duty team are here." He instructed. They left his office just as soldiers poured out of the lifts and into the room. Dawn looked at them eagerly, her heart sinking as the face she was looking for wasn't among them. Until finally, right at the back, he stood there.

Dawn sighed in relief and threw secrecy to the wind, crossing over to him without a word to anyone else. Peter met her in the middle, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Are you ok?" He demanded, without letting her go. She pulled back slightly so she could look at him.

"Me? I've been back for ages, what about you?" She asked amusedly, cupping his face with one hand as she swallowed back the tears that threatened. He shook his head.

"Our phones went down, we had no signal. The last we heard was that you, Jess, Jenny and Lester were trapped in the ARC I with the future predators and then everything went silent. I thought you were..." He trailed off, burying his face in her neck.

"I know." She said thickly, clinging to him. "Me too."

He kissed her deeply, pulling her tight against his body. "How about you don't do that again to me, okay?" he asked. "The other guys won't stop taking the mick out of me."

"Poor baby." She teased. "Weren't worried about me, were you?"

"Course not." He kissed her again, until Becker's voice rang out.

"Would one of you like to tell me what the hell is going on?"

They both jolted and separated, Dawn swallowing thickly as she turned to face the sullen man. "Becker…" she began, but trailed off.

"Sir." Peter acknowledged respectfully, squeezing Dawn's hand. Becker simply looked at them.

"Oh for the love of God." Jenny sighed. "Becker, they've been dating for months. He adores her, she adores him, it hasn't affected their work yet. The last time she had a boyfriend none of us reacted particularly well so she hid the fact that she's seeing your second in command this time around. Can we please go home now?"

Becker spluttered while Amelia laughed. "Oh, I like her. Come on James, let's take her advice and go home. You might even see the children before bed tonight."

"Jenny's right. Everybody go home." Lester called. "Becker, make sure Jess does, won't you? I know what she's like…"

"Hey!" Jess protested. Peter crossed to her, handing over his own black box before he crossed back to Dawn.

"Can I steal you tonight?" he asked. She smiled.

"I'd like that. I assume Emily is going to be with Matt so my place is empty?" she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he kissed her again.

"You two behave!" Connor called out to them. "I'm not ready to be an uncle just yet!"

Dawn beamed, knowing that that was his acceptance of them and it took only a glance at Abby's smirking face to know she felt the same. "C'mon." Peter wrapped an arm around her and they walked out together, Dawn leaning her head on him. "You're not okay." He murmured.

She looked at him with a tired smile. "I will be."

He drove her home, picking up Chinese takeaway on the way before they crashed out on the sofa, legs entwined with Dawn's head resting on Peter's chest. "Do you think we make a difference?" Peter asked abruptly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… for every person we saved today we lost another. It's like every time we take a step forward we get pushed back." He explained, tightening his grip on her.

"I think we have to look at it the opposite way around." She said quietly. "For every person we lost, we saved another. Yes, peoples lives were destroyed and turned upside down today but not as many as could have been."

There was a silence, and after a while she turned to look at him in concern. But he was gazing at her, a slight look of awe on his face. "What?"

He kissed her deeply, making her head spin before he responded. "I just… am incredibly glad I asked you out before someone else did." She smiled shyly, blushing lightly and burying her face in his shoulder in embarrassment. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her tighter and pressing his lips to her temple.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Thank you so much to PrimeWhoLockian for the review! Hope you like this one! X**_

The ARC spent the next days dealing with the aftermath of New Dawn, something that was only made harder by the ministers' insistence that they begin looking for a replacement to Prospero immediately. Lester was off work on medical leave, which left a stressed Jenny to take over his duties despite being a PR rep and not a government official. Thankfully, Matt and Jess stepped in to help as well and the ARC ran sort of smoothly for the days he was away.

Dawn, however, spent almost two weeks straight in the menagerie with Connor and Abby trying to organise the influx of creatures that it had had due to the anomalies closing so suddenly before many of them could be returned home. Manny the mammoth now had a lady friend, as Connor had said with a smirk, whom he'd promptly named Maddie. And he wasn't the only one- Rex had been delighted to meet Roxy (named by Abby) and the pair had been happily flying around together. In total, over thirty new creatures had been introduced to the ARC- some of them were relatively small and not much trouble but the ones causing problems were the other, slightly larger ones.

There were a pair of raptors who had to be kept away from pretty much everything else due to the kafuffle they made, a few small herbivores who screeched and cried if they were put too close to the larger carnivores, many of which made a racket if they were simply put too close to each other. It was a logistical nightmare and one that caused more than a few late nights.

Meanwhile, Becker was dealing with a sudden surge in transfer requests and was struggling to cope with the vast amount of other paperwork generated. Poor Emily had been drafted in to help him and the two of them were making a small dent, although not very quickly.

Three weeks after convergence had hit, Lester (who had returned tanned and unsurprisingly tight lipped about his time away) got the news that the minister was planning on visiting the ARC for the first time and reviewing its operations. Which meant a week of running around like mad trying to be perfect in case he decided to do anything as drastic as the last time.

Dawn got out of it by way of an exam at university but she was quickly filled in the next morning by Jess and Abby- apparently an anomaly alert had meant the minister saw first hand the work of the ARC over the screens of the ADD. And as a consequence, he'd immediately proclaimed that there was no need for the partial-privatisation of the ARC any longer and he'd transferred all operations back to Lester. Which meant several weeks of rehiring of scientists and lab technicians, shuffling of office space and dealing with people in white coats wandering around hopelessly lost in the corridors.

And as the only other relief they all got was the occasional team trips out to see either Michael or Dawn performing at clubs around town, all of the team were actually a little glad when the alert went off around two months after New Dawn, especially as it was in the middle of an extremely dull day. They rushed to the site, which was an a brown belt site on the outskirts of the city, only to be confronted by a herd of Pachyrhinosaurus, which were four legged, horned animals about eight metres long. And in the middle of them sat the anomaly. "This could be fun…" Dawn raised her eyebrows.

"Any ideas anyone?" Matt asked. There was a silence.

"We could… herd them…?" Abby suggested apprehensively.

"But how are we supposed to get to entire group to move inwards?" Becker pointed out.

"We could circle around them with the cars?" Emily glanced between the vehicles and the creatures apprehensively.

"Let's try." Matt shrugged. They climbed back into the cars, Dawn hopping up beside Becker. Gradually, the four cars began to circle around the herd, who looked skittish but didn't move. "_Okay guys, steadily move in closer to them. _Carefully!"

Dawn gripped the handle of the 4x4 tightly, practically hanging off it sometimes as Becker swung around corners. But even as they got closer and closer to the creatures, there was no sign of movement from them, until finally Matt called a halt to the attempt. "_This isn't working guys. Back away, we'll figure out a new plan._"

They did so, driving away from the creatures who didn't so much as look up. "Alright, so that plan was terrible. What's the next one?" Becker asked. They all looked at each other.

"We could try to lure them to the anomaly, maybe with food?" Dawn proposed. Matt shook his head.

"Absolutely not. If the herd startled whoever was doing the luring would be crushed. It's too dangerous." He refused flatly. They continued to throw ideas about but ten minutes later, the decision was taken from them when a plane flew close overhead with a deafening roar and the creatures scattered in fear at the loud noise.

"Oh for…" sighed Abby.

"Alright!" Matt looked at them. "Dawn and Becker, stay with the anomaly and lock it. The rest of us, in the cars, let's round these things up and get them home."

Dawn hauled herself into the car and Becker drove it closer, reversing it towards the anomaly so she could grab the locking mechanism and begin to set it up in the back of the 4x4, Becker holding his EMD at the ready as she knelt beside the cases. But before she could even open them a thud from beside them made them both swing around, EMD's at the ready.

"Please don't shoot me again!"

Dawn's jaw dropped, and she squealed happily. "Danny!" she jumped down, rushing into his arms and he chuckled as he wrapped them around her.

"Hey there!" he greeted. He released her, and it was Becker's turn to draw the man into a hug.

"It's good to see you." He smiled.

"Where's your brother?" Dawn questioned, casting a glance around them.

"Dead." A flash of pain crossed Danny's face.

"I'm sorry Danny." Dawn said softly. He smiled sadly at her, reaching out and wrapping his arms around her.

"Don't be." He assured her. "Now- what have I missed and how much of it is there?"

She smiled. "You've been gone… about a year?" she glanced at Becker to confirm, and he nodded. "Um… you didn't miss much. Matt and Emily got together, the ARC isn't privatised anymore."

"Dawn has a boyfriend." Becker added.

"We stopped the world from ending, Becker is being extremely stubborn about asking Jess out, but he's getting there. Slowly. Oh, and Abby and Connor are engaged but haven't announced it yet."

"We're taking bets on when they will. And Jess and I are just friends."

"See what I mean? But I don't think there's much more than that." Finished Dawn. She and Becker exchanged a grin.

"Hang up, go back!" Danny protested. "World ending, Abby and Connor?"

"You explain." Laughed Dawn as she turned back to the locking device, quickly setting it up and activating it as Becker filled Danny in a little more succinctly. By the time Becker had finished his explanation, the ragged man was wide eyed and gaping.

"I can't believe I missed it!" he exclaimed. Dawn and Becker rolled their eyes at each other, smiling despite themselves. A rumbling noise made them all look around.

"What is that?" Becker questioned in confusion. Dawn's eyes widened.

"Ah… you remember the herd of Pachyrhinosaurus?"

"Well, of course I do…"

"I think that may be them…" Dawn told him urgently, quickly unlocking the anomaly as Becker cursed and jumped into the driving seat. Danny hesitated in confusion, and Dawn reached out and hauled him onto the car next to her. "Herd of big dinosaurs, heading our way." She filled him in, catching hold of the bar as Becker accelerated sharply away to stop herself falling. She looked up, spotting the cloud of dust before the sprinting herd.

"Becker in front of us!" she screamed as she realised he showed no signs of having see the oncoming animals. He spun the wheel hard and pulled the handbrake, sending them twirling around in so they were suddenly traveling in the opposite direction. Danny whooped, but Dawn was watching the creatures. "We're not gonna make it!" she yelled. And they didn't. In seconds they were surrounded, the creatures veering around them as they ran towards the anomaly.

It took Dawn's breath away. She stood up, laughing, hanging onto the bar and exchanged a bright grin with Danny as her loose hair whipped around her face and the herd called to each other in that strange roar of theirs. They headed straight for the anomaly, swerving to the side at the last second as the animals continued straight on, heading for home as Becker bought the car to a stop on the other side. Dawn beamed at Danny.

"Welcome home." She quipped and he chuckled, wrapping an arm around her as they turned and watched as the anomaly shimmered closed seconds after the last dinosaur had stepped back through it.

"Dammit Becker, what the hell was that?" yelled Matt as the other cars pulled up, having been driving after the herd, urging them forwards. Becker rolled his eyes.

"That was me improvising when you don't radio through that you're driving a huge herd of dinosaurs at full speed in my direction!" he snapped. Dawn opened the locking mechanism and quickly locked the anomaly, rolling her eyes slightly at the two men. Danny raised his eyebrows.

"Are you two always like this?" He asked.

"Only on the days that end in 'day'." Dawn quipped dryly. Matt grinned at the sight of Danny.

"Welcome home." He said warmly, shaking his hand.

"Thanks mate." He smiled, and then Abby caught sight of him.

"DANNY!" She flung her arms around him and he chuckled, catching hold of Connor with his other arm.

"It's good to see you both." He beamed before he tipped an imaginary hat towards Emily, who laughed lightly and drew him into a warm embrace.

"Welcome home Danny." She smiled.

"Thanks."

"_Guys? Lester wants you back here as soon as possible._" Jess's voice rang through their coms.

"What's wrong Jess?" asked Matt.

"_I don't know. Just get back here._" They all exchanged confused glances but shrugged and climbed into the cars. The drive back to the ARC was pretty much spent filling in Danny with everything he'd missed, and him telling stories from his travels through the anomalies.

They arrived at the ARC and headed straight to the hub where Danny grinned mischievously when he saw Jenny standing with her head bent. He put a finger to his lips to the rest of them, before he crept up behind her. "Afternoon." He murmured, putting his mouth close to her ear. She shrieked, jumping away from him in surprise.

"Danny!" she scolded, but hugged him tightly.

"Hiya Jen." He greeted.

"Oh joy. The prodigal son returns." Lester's dry voice rang through the ARC. Danny smiled cockily at him.

"I missed you too." He winked. Lester rolled his eyes, but Dawn saw amusement flash across his face.

"Lester, why did you call us back so urgently?" Matt demanded. Lester gestured for them all to join him in his office.

"Jenny?" he prompted.

"Last night I got a call from a reporter who works for a national newspaper. Apparently, she was directed to talk to me by a source on the possibility of a government cover up in regards to the Prospero disaster." She explained quickly.

"I don't understand…" Jess frowned.

"There's a traitor in the ARC." Connor clarified for her flatly. Jess's eyes widened.

"What?"

Jenny inclined her head as she leant on Lester's desk. "This reporter, he knew… well, everything."

"Could this guy be connected to Michael Harper?" Dawn asked her.

"Who?" Matt questioned.

"He was a reporter from about… three years ago?" Dawn tried to remember. Jenny nodded.

"He popped up just before Stephen died. He tried to interview victims of creature attacks, got pictures and eventually broke into my car to steal a detector."

"Guy was a slime ball." Danny added.

"No arguments there." Connor agreed. "He locked Jenny and me in a warehouse while there was an open anomaly."

"It got him killed, along with his producer, an expert and a cameraman, I think." Jenny continued. "And meant a G-Rex escaped."

"That was fun." Danny remembered cheerfully.

"Glad you thought so." Becker muttered.

"Anyway…" Jenny caught their attention again. "I don't think this reporter is connected to him, no. And thankfully, the reporter has agreed to sign the official secrets act and not go to print- apparently he had a younger sister who was killed when a story broke about a similar situation to this so he was somewhat sympathetic when we explained the consequences to him. Our main problem is that that was a fluke- we have a mole and there is nothing to stop him or her from going to another reporter."

"One who will print the story." Emily realised.

"Exactly."

"So what do we do?" Connor asked.

"If we make it clear that we know there's a mole it may provoke them into acting sooner." Lester spoke up for the first time. "So Matt and Becker, you will be conducting an investigation as covertly as possible with the help of whomever you need."

"Are you saying that anyone outside this room is a suspect?" Dawn asked. Lester nodded.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"My soldiers would never do such a thing." Becker said instantly.

"That might be so, but twenty four hours ago I would have said the same thing about everyone in this building." Jenny said soothingly. "We have to look at everyone."

Becker sighed but nodded. "That'll be all for now." Lester dismissed them. "Oh, and Dawn?" she turned, looking at him expectantly. "This isn't to leave this room, do you understand?"

She nodded. "Of course…"

"Not even your boyfriend." Lester raised a pointed eyebrow. She pressed her lips together but nodded tightly before she left.

She walked ahead of the others, until she felt an arm loop around her. "Boyfriend, Miss Cutter? What's his name, his whole family history, his financial situation, his-?"

"Danny!" she laughed in spite of herself.

"What?" he looked at her innocently. "I just want to check he's good enough."

She giggled. "You don't think every other person out there already has?" she questioned in amusement. He shrugged, grinning at her. She sighed, slipping her arm through his. "His name's Peter Casey and he's Becker's second in command." She informed him. "And if you want to do the whole overprotective father- big brother thing you're a bit late to the game. Connor, James, Becker and Matt already beat you to it. Actually, I think Jenny, Jess and Abby threatened him too but he wasn't willing to admit to those ones."

He chuckled. "I might give it one more for good measure." He mused, laughing when she thwacked him in the arm, shaking her head slightly at him.

"Come on. There are spare clothes you can use downstairs." She sighed, and led him away.


	25. Chapter 25

Dawn stood at the door of the hospital room, watching Danny sympathetically as he sat next to Sarah with his head bent. She'd wrangled him into having a shower and a hair cut alongside his new clothes before they'd left the ARC and he looked much as he had before he'd ever gone through the anomalies, apart from the look of devastation on his face as he stared at Sarah.

"She was gonna wait for me." he said in a cracked voice.

"I know. She told me." Dawn replied softly, not knowing what else to say. She'd told Danny about Sarah the last time he'd popped up, but had thought then that perhaps he hadn't really grasped it and that suspicion was now solidified as she looked at the state of him.

"What am I supposed to do now?" he asked hopelessly.

"Carry on." She whispered. "There's nothing else you can do."

She crossed to him, wrapping her arms around him and he buried his face in her shoulder. "I should have told her I love her."

Dawn closed her eyes briefly. "She knew." She assured him softly. He looked at her wretchedly.

"Did she?"

Dawn gave him a small smile. "Yeah."."

_Two and a half years ago_

_"__Hey Sarah." Dawn greeted quietly from the doorway of the office she'd sequestered herself in. The brunette looked up with a weary smile._

_"__Hey. Why are you here so late?"_

_Dawn placed a cup of coffee on her desk. "I'm not." She told her gently. "It's morning, you've been here all night."_

_"__Oops." Sarah glanced at the clock in surprise._

_"__Did you find anything?" Dawn asked as she sat down, casting a look over the scribbled notes that littered the desk alongside numerous diagrams, photocopies and translations._

_"__I think so. Look at this." She handed the teenager the page, and Dawn frowned._

_"__Site 333? Why does that sound familiar?"_

_Sarah grabbed a map and pointed to the Rift Valley. "It's an archaeological site where they found thirteen of the earliest humans-"_

_"__All dead without explanation." Dawn finished with wide eyes. "The reference to the hominids, you were right. That's where mum was really heading."_

_"__I think so, yeah." Sarah sighed, placing her head on her hand as she stared at the papers in front of her. "Not that it helps us find the others."_

_Dawn watched her for a moment, saw the sadness in her eyes. "You really miss Danny, don't you?"_

_"__Yeah. I mean, I miss Abby and Connor too- so, so much but I especially miss him for some reason." Sarah exhaled loudly, running her hands through her tangled hair. "Which is ridiculous as I haven't even known him that long."_

_"__It's not ridiculous." Dawn told her. "Do you love him?"_

_Sarah paused. "I think so." She admitted. Dawn smiled at her._

_"__They're gonna come back." She placed her hand over Sarah's. "We'll find them, or they'll find us. You know, just to be difficult. And when they do just snog the daylights out of him. It'd solve a lot if people just did that when they fancied someone." Dawn thought of Abby and Connor, and Jenny and her father._

_Sarah grinned. "I just might, actually. I'm tired of waiting around for something to happen." Then she paused. "Although honestly, I'm not convinced of your theory. Can you imagine if someone just kissed Becker? He'd probably shoot them!"_

_They both burst into laughter._

Present day

Danny smiled weakly at the story. "I would have kissed her back." He murmured. Dawn entwined her fingers with his, and sat with him in a silent vigil over the comatose woman.

That had been a month ago. Danny had settled into the team, technically working under Matt although that didn't stop him from doing his own thing if he disagreed with the given orders, much to his and Becker's annoyance.

Danny was sat in his office, pretending to do paperwork while he really played tetris. He jumped however when there was a sharp knock on the door and he scrambled to hide the phone before it opened but relaxed when Dawn slipped in. "Hey." She greeted, skipping over to lean on his desk.

"Hey. What's up?" he narrowed his eyes at her. She shrugged. He raised his eyebrows.

"Why does something have to be up?" she questioned.

"Okay. Then are you going to tell me what's wrong with you and Becker?" Danny asked. "I saw how he treated you this morning."

Dawn sighed. "He's angry with me because I didn't tell him that Peter and I were dating."

"Were?"

Daw just looked at him. "Becker isn't only mad with me." she explained bitterly. "Peter decided it wasn't worth it."

"Want me to beat him up?" Danny offered. Dawn smiled sadly.

"No, thank you. But d'you wanna break the rules?" she smirked.

"God yes." He sighed dramatically. "What're we doing?"

"_Really_ breaking the rules. As in, you could get fired for it. But it's for a good reason." She told him, biting her lip. He beamed.

"Brilliant. Haven't properly broken the rules in a while." He grinned cheerfully. She smiled.

"Meet me at my car after work. Dress sturdily but comfortably." She instructed before she bounced out with a bright smile. He looked after her curiously but did as she said, leaning against her mini until she finally appeared, dressed in cargo trousers and a cotton shirt over a vest top with a leather jacket and what looked to Danny like walking boots.

"Hey? So am I allowed to know what's going on yet?" he asked. She gestured for him to get in and pulled out of the car park.

"It's about Sarah." She told him. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Okay…"

"We saved the future, right? So I calculated that if science and medicine continue at the same rate they have been over the last couple of years within a few decades they might have found a cure for Sarah's condition." She bit her lip as realisation swept over him.

"You're talking about getting it from the future?" he checked incredulously. She nodded.

"Saving one life can't do that much damage to the timelines, surely. And… it's _Sarah._"

Danny rubbed a hand over his head. He thought of all the things that could go wrong with this, how much trouble they were going to be in if they made it back. And then he thought of Sarah. "Okay." He nodded after a few minutes. "Let's do it." She beamed at him. "Just one question- how are we getting to the future?"

"Well, there are three anomalies that we know of that lead there." She explained. "One's been sealed- that's at Christine Johnson's old headquarters. The other's the one at the race track but it's kept locked and guarded more heavily than any other because of how dangerous it is."

"And the third?"

"Um… we sort of have to go through the Permian era to reach it." Dawn told him sheepishly. He sighed.

"Of course we do. How exactly do we get to the Permian?"

"There's an anomaly in the forest of Dean. It was the first one the government was ever aware of, so it's fenced in and guarded."

Danny shot her a confused look. "And that's easier than the other one how?"

"Because it's closed. So there's only one guard and…" she dug in her pocket, not looking up from the room and pulled out a key on a chain. "I have the key to the gate."

He reached out and took it, turning it over in his hands. "Do I want to know how?"

"It was my dad's." she smiled lightly. "Research purposes."

"Ah. Okay, three more questions. If it's closed, how are we gonna go through it?" he asked in confusion.

"It's due to open at about ten o'clock tonight." She explained. "Second question?"

"How are we gonna survive in the Permian, we don't even have water?"

She smiled. "I have rucksacks in the boot. Everything we might need in them."

"Huh." He looked impressed. "Oh, and how do you know where the future anomaly is on the other side?"

For the first time, she looked uncertain. "I don't. My mum did." She admitted quietly. Danny paused.

"Okay, really not liking this." He narrowed his eyes.

"In her diary, there are lists and lists of anomalies." Dawn explained. "Where and when they appear, where and when they lead to. Exact locations. My mother may have been crazy but she was a scientist at heart. Everything was precise and carefully documented."

Danny groaned. "Great, we're following the word of a mad woman." Then he glanced at Dawn. "No offence intended."

"None taken." She assured him. "Look, the forest of Dean anomaly is due to stay open for a few days. And there's a more compact locking device in one of the bags so we can open it again once it's been locked."

"Alright, alright." He held his hands up. "Just out of curiosity, how long have you been planning this?"

"A while." She admitted with a smile. "I don't know if it's going to work, but it just might. And if there's even a chance…"

"Yeah." Danny nodded in understanding. The rest of the journey was spent in a strange silence or playing word games until finally, over four hours later they pulled up by in the car park Dawn had first stepped foot in almost seven years ago.

"Where's this anomaly then?" Danny asked her as she got the bags from the boot, chucking one at him. He caught it with a grunt.

"This way." They set off and Dawn found her way easily despite the fact that Danny was lost just ten minutes in. The covering of trees meant that they quickly had to use torches and Danny struggled to keep his footing, often tripping over tree roots and hitting branches while Dawn easily made her way through it. She smirked at him. "You okay back there?"

He scowled. "How are you doing that so easily?"

"Practice." She smiled, reaching out to catch a branch before it could hit him in the face. He shot her a grimace.

"This couldn't have opened in the day?" he complained. She chuckled.

"It's not much further." She assured him. Half an hour later they hit the fence, turning off their torches so as not to alert the single soldier on guard by the gate. Thankfully, the area was still illuminated by lights.

"How we gonna get past him?" Danny asked quietly. Dawn grabbed a handful of stones and twigs and chucked them as far as she could behind them, dragging him down behind a log. The soldier stiffened, shining a torch into the woodland.

"Who's there?" he called out. He walked past them, EMD raised and they took their chance, bolting towards the gate. Dawn fumbled with the lock, just managing to open it and slip inside. Danny quickly followed her and by pure luck, the anomaly flickered into existence just as he closed the gate behind them. "HEY!" The soldier yelled out as he spotted them, racing in their direction but it was too late- they'd bolted towards the anomaly and jumped through, landing on the other side and blinking in the bright sunshine.

"Wow…" Danny stared around them as Dawn gasped.

"It's beautiful." She murmured. He glanced at her.

"You haven't been here before?" he asked.

"You're joking. Dad wouldn't let me in a million years!" She shook her head with a laugh. "No, this is the first time I've been here."

She looked around them as she slipped her jacket off and stashed it in her bag, withdrawing her mother's diary at the same time. "You know where we're going?" Danny checked.

"That way." She pointed, peering at the page in front of her. They began to walk, chatting casually until Danny stopped dead all of a sudden.

"What the heck is that?"

Dawn followed his gaze and giggled. "Don't worry, he's a herbivore." She told him in amusement.

"Herbivore?" Danny muttered. "The thing's huge."

"It's a dinosaur, Danny. Sort of comes with the territory." Dawn rolled her eyes, looking around them and comparing it to the diary. Danny noticed.

"Tell me we're not lost." He pleaded.

"Would you like to navigate?" she offered snappily. He took the offered notebook with a smirk, then frowned.

"It's in a different language."

"It's in code." She crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. "So? Which way?"

He studied it, turning it around and tilting his head. "I… that way." He pointed to their left. She raised an eyebrow, reaching out to pull his arm in the opposite direction. He looked at her and she attempted to keep her face blank, almost managing in hiding her smirk. He sighed, handing the diary back to her and stalking off in the direction she's indicated.

She burst into giggles, catching up with him and looping her arm through his as he stuck his nose in the air, which only made her laugh harder. "You're not helping my whole haughty thing I'm aiming for." He complained.

"Oh, I thought you were impersonating one of the creatures." She said with a straight face. He looked at her, lips twitching. She made the mistake of meeting his gaze and they both dissolved into laughter.

"Look!" Danny indicated the anomaly, which sat on a ridge in front of them, locked. They both sobered instantly.

"Bugger. I forgot there'd be an ARC in the future now." Dawn cursed. Danny shrugged.

"You said you have the locking mechanism?" he pointed out. She nodded.

"It's in your bag."

"Oh, is that why it's so heavy?" he grumbled.

"You're supposed to be the big burly man." She shrugged innocently. "Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that there's likely to be a guard on the other side."

Danny shrugged. "We'll deal with it if there is."

Dawn wasn't convinced but she nodded and they clambered over to it, exchanging a slightly nervous look before Danny pointed the device and unlocked the anomaly. They stepped through, blinking slightly and Dawn shivered as the cool air hit her.

Then her jaw dropped.

"I was wondering when you were gonna show up. I thought I got the got wrong for a moment there."

Danny looked incredulous. "There's two of you!"

Dawn blinked rapidly, looking at her older self. "Well it was bound to happen eventually." She said in resignation. Her older self grinned.

"Yep. You have three hours before I'm due to switch shifts with the next guard- be back by then." She instructed. Dawn and Danny looked at each other. "Oh, and the hospital's that way."

They left the warehouse they were in and followed the direction she pointed, looking around them interestedly. "The fashion is certainly… different." Danny observed, blushing slightly as two scantily dressed women strolled passed them, not gaining a second look from the people around them.

"Not that much." Dawn nodded to an older woman dressed in jeans and a blouse a little way away from them. They grinned slightly at each other.

"Oh, I'm guessing that's the hospital." Danny paused at the sight of the huge building, with the 'hospital' written in huge red letters across the top. "Right. Where to now?"

"We need to find a doctor who specialises in the brain and _subtly_ question him on traumatic brain injuries." Dawn emphasised subtly, glancing pointedly to the man beside her. He raised his hands.

"Subtle. My middle name." he grinned. "You stay here, yell if men in black show up. Just in case."

Dawn frowned unhappily but nodded and Danny jogged off, glad that white coats had apparently remained in fashion for medical personal. A couple of casual comments to a few of them landed a brain surgeon (seriously? This was his lucky day!) and a conversation got him the information he needed.

Dawn was chatting to a teenager, listening intently as he modelled what Danny thought was a mobile. "Dawn?" he questioned. She bade goodbye to the boy, smiling brightly at him as she skipped over to Danny. "Making friends?" he raised an eyebrow. She shrugged.

"He was nice."

"You have a boyfriend!"

"So did he." Smirked Dawn. Danny spluttered. "And I don't anymore. Anyway- what did you find?"

Danny beamed. "They can treat Sarah's injury now!" he told her excitedly. "And with some sort of drug… I didn't really understand it but I got the name of it." He showed Dawn the piece of paper.

"Dia… Diea… De…" she struggled, giving up and looking at him. He shrugged.

"No use asking me."

"Alright, where do we get it?" she questioned. He hesitated.

"That would be the problem. It has to be prescribed by a doctor."

"Great." She groaned.

"The good news is it's stored here at the hospital." He told her cheerfully.

"You're saying we steal it?" she hissed.

"Well, what do you suggest?" he asked fiercely. "We have a little over two hours before we have to go! We don't have another choice if we want to heal Sarah!"

Dawn bit her lip, torn. "Okay." She agreed reluctantly.

"Okay." He nodded. "We need to find the pharmacy, scout it out. We can figure out an exact plan after that."

Dawn nodded, shaking her hair out from its braid so that if fell around her face while Danny pulled a cap down over his and they went into the hospital. "Why do they always make hospitals so complicated?" muttered Dawn.

"Sadists satisfaction?" suggested Danny as he read a sign that hung on the wall. "There, fourth floor. Why the heck would they put a pharmacy there?"

They made their way up there, keeping their faces turned away from the cameras. "Any ideas?" murmured Dawn, pretending to read a sign on the wall.

"Yeah. We steal a coat; walk in like we're supposed to be there." Danny nodded. Dawn turned to look at him.

"That's quite possibly the stupidest idea you've ever had." She told him. "But it's so stupid it might just work."

"Alright, you go outside and I'll do it." He ordered, catching hold of her arm and leading her down the corridor.

"What? No!" she protested in a hiss.

"Look, Dawn if you get caught here it's going to cause problems, mainly because I don't know how to get home. So just do as I say okay?" he asked. She raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, do I look stupid?" she questioned. He looked at her innocently. "You don't have to protect me Danny. I'm not sixteen anymore."

He smiled sheepishly. "No, but it makes me feel better so just do as I ask, please?"

"Danny, I am not leaving you to do this by yourself." She said firmly. "Now I'll distract the lady at the desk- you sneak in, alright?"

Danny sighed but nodded reluctantly. Down the corridor, there was a small staffroom with lockers, and Danny only had to break three open before he found a white coat. Dawn fought to keep her lips from twitching as he put it on- it was at least two sizes too small and the name across it read 'Dr M Pink.'

"Nice." She complimented with a smirk. He scowled.

"Funny. Let's go."

She left before him, walking up to the woman at the desk with a sweet smile. "Excuse me? I was wondering if you could help me…"

Danny waited until the woman was distracted and he took the chance to slip past her, searching through the aisles. They were organised in alphabetical order so he quickly scanned the shelves until he found the d's. Then he paused. "Dammit!"

None of the packets were marked with instructions, only names. He had no idea how much he needed of the clear liquid that sat in little vials in front of him. He glanced over to Dawn, who was struggling to keep the woman's attention on her.

So he grabbed a handful and stuffed them in the side pocket of his bag, meeting Dawn's eyes and nodding as he rushed down the corridor. She thanked the woman and hurried after him. "We have a problem." He murmured as he stripped off the coat and dumped it in a nearby bin.

They entered a lift, smiling politely at the man in scrubs who entered with them. As soon as they'd got off the lift, she turned to him. "What?" she asked urgently.

"There's no instructions for the dose!" he hissed as they left. Dawn nibbled her lip, glancing at her watch.

"We have thirty minutes before we have to be back. What the hell can we do in that time?" she questioned.

"Ask someone?" Danny suggested. She shook her head.

"Too suspicious." She pointed out. "We need to look it up."

"How?"

"Internet." She raised her eyebrows. She scanned the people around them, catching sight of a geeky older man with a camera and socks with shorts. "Some things _really_ don't change." She muttered, handing Danny her bag. "Excuse me?" she smiled, folding her hands together behind her. He looked at her.

"Hello?"

"I was wondering if you could help me." Dawn stepped closer to him, looking at him straight in the eyes and keeping the smile on her face. "I'm a bit new around here. I was hoping you might have something with internet on I could use?"

She smiled sweetly, looking up at him through her lashes. He stuttered. "I… er…"

"Are you a photographer?" she asked, looking at his camera. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. Er, buildings." He answered. Dawn beamed.

"My father used to be a keen photographer. It's a fascinating hobby, isn't it?" she smiled. He nodded. "So... sought after." She bit her lip. "So could I use the internet on your phone? It'll only take a minute? I promise." She leant towards him with a slow smile. He made a choking sound, but nodded and withdrew a device from his pocket, handing it to her. She smiled widely.

Apparently, the basics were still the same. Search engine plus a keyboard… though holographic. Judging by the looks some teenagers across the road were giving her though, this technology was relatively old for this time. She searched quickly, finding what she needed on some sort of educational site. "Thank you." She smiled at them man, handing his phone back and walking back to Danny, who was staring at her.

"Where on earth did you learn to do that?"

"Jenny." Dawn shrugged. Then she caught sight of her watch. "Danny! We have fifteen minutes and it took us longer than that to get here!"

He swore, handing her bag back to her and grabbing her hand as they took off running at full the way they'd come earlier, shouting apologies to people they knocked into. "Come on!" Danny urged as she slowed slightly.

"Look!" she pointed at the 4x4 sitting in a traffic queue, with the ARC logo stamped on the side.

"What'd you wanna bet that's going where we are?" he asked. They began to sprint down the street, bursting into the warehouse where the future Dawn was pacing anxiously.

"Cutting it a bit fine, aren't you?!" she cried when she saw them. "Quick, go through!" she unlocked the anomaly.

"Wait! Just tell us, does it work?" Danny asked, still trying to catch his breath. She looked at him expressionlessly.

"Go find out. Hurry!" she glanced over her shoulder as an engine drew closer. Dawn grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him through with her. They'd barely hit the other side when the anomaly snapped closed.

"She was eager. You were eager." He paused, looking confused. "One of you was eager."

Dawn chuckled, resting over on her knees as her breathing returned to normal. "We did it."

"Now it just has to work." Danny pointed out. He grinned at her, slinging an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. "Have I remembered to tell you you're brilliant lately?"

She grinned. "Don't thank me yet. We still aren't home."

They began their trek, Dawn unable to resist snapping a few pictures of the landscape and the creatures. "This place is amazing." She murmured. "I can see why my mum liked it so much."

Danny glanced at her. "Thinking of following in her footsteps?" he asked mildly. She snorted.

"_No._ It wouldn't be worth it when Jenny got her hands on me!" she joked. He laughed. "No, I'm not sure I'd be brave enough, not after seeing what it did to mum. But… I can understand it now."

"Now?"

"I spent several years missing her, several more hating her." she sighed. "But now… now I just pity her." she stared across the landscape, sadness hitting her. Danny wrapped an arm around her.

"It's hard, grieving for someone nobody else is." He said roughly. She nodded, smiling sadly at him, knowing that because of his brother he was probably the only person who understood.

"Yeah."

Danny wrapped an arm around her. "You miss her?"

"I miss who she used to be." Dawn admitted. "You know… I hear what the others say about her. That she was a monster, emotionless, a cold, heartless murderer. But… she wasn't. She cried when she shot my dad, she grieved for him before she knew he was alive. The look on her face when she realised who I was… she wasn't emotionless. She genuinely thought what she was doing was right."

"They only see what she became." Danny said. Dawn nodded.

"You know, before all of this- before the anomalies and the creatures she was… just my mum. The woman who tucked me in at night and took me to dance class and sat with me for days straight without a break when I was ill."

"She was your mum. There's nothing wrong about that Dawn." Danny said gently. She smiled bitterly.

"There is to the others." She pointed out quietly. She wrapped her arms around herself, falling silent and Danny squeezed her hand in understanding. The walked for a while longer.

"Dawn… wasn't the anomaly up there?" Danny questioned suddenly, looking ahead of them. She frowned.

"Yeah…?" they both broke into a run, skidding to a stop at the spot it was supposed to be. "Where is it?"

"I thought you said it was going to be open for a few more days?!" Danny exclaimed.

"It was supposed to be!" she cried. She ran her hands through her hair, before she dug into her bag and withdrew her anomaly detector, switching it on.

"Well?" asked Danny. She looked at him.

"The only anomaly close to here is the one to the future." She told him unsteadily. "Oh my God. The prediction model must have been wrong."

Danny stared at her as horror filled her eyes. "Danny, we're trapped here."


	26. Chapter 26

Dawn sat on a rock by herself, arms loosely around her knees as she stared out across the valley. "It's not your fault Dawn." Danny came up behind her.

"It was my model, Danny. This is all my fault." She sighed. "I'm really sorry."

He shook his head. "It's fine, really. Do you know when it's due to open again?"

She ducked her head. "I don't know. This anomaly is usually pretty regular. Normally it opens and closes every few weeks but it closed in just a few hours this time, so I don't know."

"Well then, we'll stick around close by. If in a few weeks it hasn't opened again we'll search for another way home." He shrugged calmly. She turned to look at him.

"Why are you not freaking out about this?"

"Last time I ended up with only hominids for company at the beginning of the human race and almost no provisions. This is like a paradise!" he spread his arms out with a silly grin and despite herself she gave a weak laugh.

"Fair enough." She pulled out her mother's diary. "There was something in here about a camp she had…" she murmured, flicking through. "Here. She talks about building and decoration."

"In the Permian?"

Dawn shrugged. "I guess. I don't think it's far from here- want to go see?"

He nodded, and they set off, clambering over a hill until they reached the other side. "Where is this thing then?" Danny asked. Dawn frowned.

"I think it should be tucked under those rocks there…" she pointed. Carefully, they climbed down and rounded the outcrop, stopping in surprise.

"She built a house in the Permian era?" Danny questioned incredulously. Dawn blinked.

"Apparently so…" she said slowly. The building was one storey and made out of wood, with simple holes in the wall for windows but a neat door set in the centre. They exchanged a glance. "Only her…" Dawn muttered.

Danny stepped closer and pushed the door- it didn't move. He put his shoulder to it and shoved, stumbling inwards as it gave way. Dawn smiled slightly, following him in and coughing as dust rose around them. "Nobody's been in here for years!" Danny covered his mouth with his arms.

"Well, it might be less than that. This is the Permian era after all- it's kinda dusty." Dawn pointed out. She looked around interestedly. They were in a relatively small room- there were several tables around the edge covered with papers, with blankets strewn about in some places. "You know, I think this is some sort of research station." Dawn mused.

"Is that what these are?" Danny turned a piece of paper around in his hands, looking confused. Dawn smiled, noticing a door at the end and pushing through it. It looked like a small kitchen- there was a table, a small gas cooker and some pots and cutlery. Another door stood at the back, and Dawn opened it to find a staircase leading down. "Danny?" she called, descending down the stairs before she heard him reply. There was another door at the bottom, which she opened, blinking in the sudden change in light- it was dark down here, and musty. She clicked her torch on, shinning it around and stepping forward.

Only to be abruptly knocked back. She gasped as the air whooshed out of her and the torch clattered to the floor. There were hands around her throat and she clawed at them desperately, bucking against the weight pinning her to the floor as she struggled to break free.

"Danny-!" She gasped out, scrabbling around as she tried to breath. Her already limited vision began to blur just as she heard a cry and the weight lifted, the pressure around her throat loosening so she could gulp in breath after breath. She rolled, looking over to see Danny punching a man on the floor again and again. She grabbed the torch and scrambled to her feet. "Danny, stop!" she urged in a croak, placing a hand on his back. He drew back, breathing heavily.

"Oh my God…" Dawn whispered as she caught sight of the man's face. Danny glanced at her.

"Do you know him?" he questioned.

"Sort of." She swallowed thickly, wincing at the pain in her throat. "He's one of the clones."

"Clones?"

"You must have heard of them." Dawn looked at him. "The clone army took over the ARC- we thought they were all killed but then one turned up dead in a dumpster a few days later so we were never sure. Apparently they weren't." She looked at the man in confusion, crouching beside him while Danny cut a length of rope from the one in his bag and wound it around the clones' wrists, securing him tightly. "What on earth is he doing here though?"

"I think we may have something to do with that." Danny and Dawn jumped up defensively at the voice. At the end of the basement they hadn't looked at yet were bars secured from ceiling to floor all the way across the room, creating a cage. In which Jenny stood.

"How the hell did you get here?" Danny asked in surprise, walking towards her. She hesitated.

"I'm not sure." She admitted. "I don't even know where here is." Danny glanced at Dawn, who shrugged. He began to try to pick the lock, with Dawn holding the torch to light it.

"We're in the Permian era." She explained. "As far as I can work out it's around the same time as the anomaly when we first found it. Does the ARC know you're here?" she asked.

"The what?" Jenny looked at her quizzically. Danny stopped in what he was doing.

"The ARC." He said slowly. She looked blank.

"Like Noah's ark?" a male voice said from the back of the cage. Jenny turned in surprise.

"You're awake! How are you feeling?" she hurried toward the man. Danny swung the light from his own torch towards them.

And Dawn froze.

"Terrible." The man groaned. He was bruised and battered. "Remind me not to try that again."

"I told you not to." Muttered Jenny. "Not my fault if you're as stubborn as hell."

Danny continued to pick the look, shooting a concerned look towards Dawn who was trembling, the light from the torch wavering unsteadily. "What's wrong?" he muttered to her. She crouched beside him.

"That's Stephen." She breathed.

"Stephen?" he frowned, glancing towards her.

"My godfather. Who died five years ago." She bit her lip, pale with wide eyes. Danny paused.

"Huh…" the lock clicked, and he pushed the door open. "Are there any more of those guys?" he asked the two inside the cage, nodding to the man on the floor. Jenny shook her head.

"He's the only one. Helen used to come around but she hasn't been here in months."

"Months?" Dawn exclaimed. "You've been here for months?"

Jenny nodded. "I've been here…" she counted in her head. "Two years."

"I've only been here for one." Stephan added. Danny looked confused.

"That doesn't make any sense. I literally talked to you at the ARC this morning Jen, how could you be here?" he questioned. Jenny looked baffled.

"I've never seen you before in my life." She said in confusion. "You couldn't have talked with me."

Danny looked to Dawn. "Why do I get the feeling we're missing something?"

"Because we're talking about Helen Cutter and things are never simple with her." she muttered bitterly.

"That much I'll agree with you." Stephan said, sitting up with a wince. "Why don't we start from the beginning? I'm Stephen, this is Claudia."

"Claudia?" Dawn and Danny echoed together. The woman in question looked a little perturbed.

"Yes…" she said slowly. "Claudia Brown."

Danny and Dawn stared at her. "Well crap." Danny sighed. Dawn simply turned and walked away, running up the stairs before any of them could say anything. Danny sighed.

"Sorry- she's a little… upset." He explained with a wince. "I'm Danny, the kid was Dawn."

"Nice to meet you." Stephen murmured, gritting his teeth as he attempted to stand up. Claudia tried to support him but Danny darted forward instead and took her place.

"Let me." he smiled, slipping the other man's arm around his shoulders. "Okay?"

"Okay." Stephen nodded, blowing out a breath. With difficulty, they manoeuvred him up the stairs to where Dawn standing by the window in the main room. She looked up as they walked in before quickly turning away, and Danny was sure he saw her wipe her eyes.

He lowered Stephen into a nearby chair before crossing to her. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." She said emotionlessly. She pushed herself off the wall and crossed to one of the tables, scanning the notes and sighing.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked.

"I don't think these are in any sort of order. They're going to be hell to sort through and understand." she moaned. "I seriously hope the treatment works for Sarah 'cause I'm going to need her help."

"We have to get home first." Danny pointed out.

"And figure out what we're going to do with those two." Dawn muttered, gesturing to Claudia and Stephen.

"Well we can't leave them here." Danny said.

"We can't take them with us either! Jenny would have a fit for one, not to mention Lester, Abby and Connor." Dawn bit her lip.

Danny sighed. "We could take them to the future?"

"Well that wouldn't help at all, would it? We'd just spend the rest of lives worrying about what to do with them when they arrived!" Dawn hissed.

"So what do you suggest?"

"Hey!" Stephen suddenly yelled. They turned to look at him in surprise. "Stop talking about us like we're not here and explain what the hell is going on!"

Dawn and Danny exchanged a look at each other. "All yours." Danny held his hands up.

"Coward." Dawn mumbled with an eye roll. "Look…. I'm not actually sure yet."

"Then tell us what you do know." Stephen demanded. Dawn sighed.

"Fine. Five years Nick Cutter and his wife Helen and several soldiers crossed into the Permian era to return a group of baby future predators to the rightful era. You both remember that?" she asked. They both nodded. "Only the professor came back, although his wife followed closely afterwards. After some… revelations." Dawn shot Stephen a pointed look. "Helen returned through the anomaly and Cutter began asking after a woman named Claudia Brown, who nobody had ever heard of."

Claudia jerked slightly but Dawn ploughed on regardless. "A few people wrote him off as crazy, especially as he had no memory of the Anomaly Research Centre- the ARC. But he continued his work there until Helen turned up again when it was revealed she and Stephen had been continuing their relationship in the past months, and she'd somehow bought him around to her point of view. A large number of prehistoric creatures and future predators were being held at a facility but were at risk of escaping because of what she did- Cutter tried to sacrifice himself to stop them from doing so but Stephen punched him, knocked him out and died in his place. Six months later and Helen shot Cutter anyway with the intention of killing him- she failed, and he went after her through the anomalies and never came back. That was three years ago." Dawn finished abruptly, turning back to the notes as a passage caught her eye.

Claudia and Steven were sat in stunned silence. Danny raised his eyebrows. "Well that was… delicate." He said sarcastically. Dawn ignored him, reading the notes with a frown.

"Stephen, what do you remember?" she quizzed suddenly. He frowned.

"What?"

"What do you remember?" she repeated. "Your childhood, your teenage years, the university, the creatures. Do you remember all of it?"

"I… I remember the creatures…" he said slowly. Dawn looked at him.

"What does Lewes mean to you?" she asked quietly. He looked blank.

"Nothing. Is it supposed to?"

Dawn looked back at the notes in her hand. "Dammit…" she whispered.

"Dawn?" Danny questioned. "What's wrong?"

She swallowed, but kept her expression carefully blank. "Nothing. Just another lie."

_"__Please tell me you didn't do this to Stephen!"_

_"__No matter what they look like they can never _be_the original."_

"Right, I know how you exist Stephen. Claudia- same questions to you- childhood, teenage years, creatures." Dawn said business-like. Claudia looked hesitant, but answered anyway.

"I remember all of it. My whole life, the only gap is how I ended up here."

"How did you get here?" Danny enquired.

"I… I don't know. I was in the forest of Dean- Nick had gone through the anomaly with Helen and then… I was just here." Claudia shrugged, looking troubled. Dawn bit her lip, looking down at the papers.

"It shouldn't be possible." She muttered. "It isn't possible! But you're sitting right in front of me!"

Danny just shrugged at the confused looks Claudia and Stephen shot him. "I've learnt just to nod along… eventually she'll probably get around to explaining." He murmured to them.

Dawn continued to work through the papers- Danny and Claudia got bored of waiting and began to explore the strange building they were in, while Stephen dozed in his chair. A sudden noise from outside had him shooting upright, wincing and gasping aloud. "What's wrong?" Dawn glanced up at him distractedly.

"There's something out there." He gestured to the door. She raised an eyebrow.

"You realised we're in prehistoric times right? It's probably a dinosaur." She said somewhat scathingly but she crossed over to the door anyway, cracking it open and scanning around outside. "Nothing." She told Stephen, closing it again and beginning to return to her seat.

_Crack._

She froze, exchanging a look with Stephen to check he'd heard it too. "I really should have bought an EMD." She muttered, grabbing a knife out of an ankle holster that was secured to her left leg. Stephen looked shocked but she ignored him, gripping the knife tightly as she opened the door again.

She stepped out, holding a defensive stance as she walked. There was nothing around her, the steep hill not a great place for hiding. She frowned though, the uncomfortable feeling of being watched making the back of her neck prickle. "Hello?" she called quietly, feeling ridiculous.

Unsurprisingly, there was no answer. Dawn began to walk back inside but stopped when she saw what was laying on a misshapen rock, hidden from view unless she was standing on the side of it she was. She glanced around her, but still couldn't see anybody so hesitantly, she leaned down to pick it up.

"Danny! Claudia!" she called as she rushed into the house.

"What's wrong?" asked Stephen in surprise.

"Not sure. We've gotta go though." She began to gather up the papers, piling them into her bag and squashing them down.

"Dawn? What's wrong?" Danny demanded.

"Somebody else is here." She chucked him the anomaly opener. He turned it over in his hands, eyes widening.

"I don't understand… How is this possible? I thought Connor never invented these!" he questioned.

"He didn't." Dawn said grimly. "Help me with these, would you?"

Danny and Claudia both began to pile up papers as well, until Danny paused. "Dawn? Is this the same notebook?"

Dawn looked around to where he was holding what looked like her mother's diary up, taking it with a frown and flicking through it. "It's not the same…" she noted. "She must have gotten two at the same time…"

She shrugged, placing it in her bag with the rest, which was soon full so Danny piled the remaining notes into his bag. "Where are we going?" he asked as he slung it over his shoulder and helped Stephen stand up.

"Home." Dawn shrugged, holding up the opener. Danny looked wary, but nodded and they began to move out. But they soon hit a problem when Stephen was unable to climb up the hill- Dawn handed hers and Danny's bag to Claudia and got on his other side, and between her and Danny they managed to get him to the flat where the anomaly should have been.

"Blimey. That was a workout." Panted Danny, wiping his forehead after they'd lowered Stephen to sit on a nearby rock with Claudia. Dawn grinned, leaning on her knees.

"Bit out of shape there, old man?" she teased breathlessly.

"Oi! Some of us aren't kids anymore!" he retorted. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Mm?"

"Why didn't you tell them you're Helen and the professors daughter?" Danny asked her. She looked to him.

"What would that have solved?" she questioned plaintively. "Danny, Claudia was in love with my dad and Stephen has scattered memories. Telling them who I am would serve no purpose whatsoever and simply confuse and upset them."

Danny looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Right."

"What are we doing here?" Claudia called out to them. Dawn glanced at her, and took out the device from her pocket, pointing and pressing on the screen, biting her lip nervously until the anomaly sprung into life.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Claudia. Dawn grinned.

"C'mon." she ducked under Stephen's arm and took some of his weight from Danny- the man was practically unconscious now. "Claudia?" The woman followed them closely, casting a nervous glance towards the anomaly before they stepped through it.

Dawn blinked at the change in light- it had been bright sunshine before, it was now a dim pink light that cast over them. "Huh." Danny commented. "Looks like morning."

"Yeah, but which morning?" Dawn pointed out, closing the anomaly behind them with one hand, the other still supporting Stephen.

"You better have a damn good explanation for this." The voice rang from behind them and Claudia jumped violently. Dawn however, just shot Lester a lazy grin.

"Morning James." She greeted. "Couldn't call the medics, could you? He's a bit heavy."

Lester cast a shocked glance over Stephen and Claudia. "Dawn…" he began, but for the first time words failed him.

"James?" She prompted. "Medics?"

Lester nodded, withdrawing his phone and barking orders down the phone. Dawn found herself in a whirlwind of soldiers and medics, being escorted back to the ARC and checked over by a medic before she was taken to Lester's office where Matt and Becker sat with Danny, and Lester himself. In the med bay, she'd stashed her and Danny's bags in an empty draw, knowing they'd be confiscated by Lester if he saw the papers in them. "I want you both to explain. Now." Lester said, gritting his teeth against the irritation rising in him and bringing Dawn back to the present. Danny glanced at her.

"I found a reference in my mother's diary to some sort of residence she'd had built in the Permian. I was suspicious on why she'd choose to build a house in prehistoric times so I persuaded Danny to travel with me there and investigate." Dawn said plainly. Danny nodded his agreement.

"We found Stephen and Claudia there, in a cage along with one of Helen's clones. Who we left there, tied up by the way."

"Whoops." Muttered Dawn- she'd forgotten about him. The other three men stared at them suspiciously.

"How is it that a dead man and a woman who shouldn't exist are even here?" Lester questioned.

"Are you going to lock them up if I tell you?" challenged Dawn.

"Dawn!" barked Becker. "Answer the question!"

"Or what?"

"Dawn, nobody is going to lock anybody up." Matt interrupted them. "But we need to understand."

Dawn looked at him, saw the truth in his eyes. "I think Stephen is a clone, created by my mother and my guess is she repeated stories of the real Stephen to him until they became his actual memories, until he believed he'd lived them. And Claudia… I'm not sure. Mum seems to have just sort of... plucked her out of her timeline and bought her into this one but I have no idea how."

"Wonderful. Dead, but Helen Cutter still manages to cause trouble." Lester sat at his desk.

"Look, I think out first priority should be making sure Claudia and Stephen aren't a threat, and figuring out what to do with them next." Matt said. "And telling the others."

"I agree." Becker nodded, not looking towards Dawn. "I'll tell Abby and Connor, they're here anyway."

"I'll explain it to Emily and Jess." Matt volunteered.

"I'll keep Claudia and Stephen company." Danny said.

Lester grimaced. "I need to explain this to the minister somehow."

"And I guess that leaves me with Jenny." Dawn sighed, running a hand through her hair. They all stood to leave, bar Matt, with Danny jogging quickly away. Becker began to walk away, not bothering to look back to Dawn. "How long are you going to act like this for?" she called out to him. He paused.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Like hell you don't!" Dawn snapped. "You're acting like a child Becker! You want to know why Peter and I didn't tell you about seeing each other? This exact reaction is why! You're being ridiculous!"

"Not telling me could have compromised the safety of the team and-"

"Bullshit!" Dawn bit out. "I don't know why you're acting like this Becker, and to be honest right now I don't care. But even if you won't act as you used to, you can at least act civilly towards me! I deserve that much!" he opened his mouth to say something, looked faintly guilty but she cut him off. "I don't care."

She stormed off, checking the security logs to find Jenny was in her office, Lester having called the entire team in at the same time as calling the medics earlier that day. She walked down there, knocking on the door. "Hi sweetheart." Jenny greeted, looking up from her paperwork. Dawn smiled weakly. "What's wrong?" Jenny asked instantly, seeing the look on her face.

Dawn took a deep breath, sitting in front of her desk and smoothing her trousers nervously. "I need to tell you something…"

Dawn bit her lip as Jenny stared at her. "You are joking." The brunette said eventually. Dawn shook her head.

"Sorry." She whispered.

Jenny leaned back and rubbed her hands over her face. "Okay. First off, what the hell were you thinking going through an anomaly on a whim, with only Danny as backup?" She asked angrily. Dawn ducked her head slightly. "Dawn, you could have been trapped on the other side for months! You could have been killed!"

"I'm sorry." Dawn apologised quietly. Jenny looked at her.

"No you're not." She sighed bitterly. "Claudia Brown…" she murmured. Dawn looked at her feet. "Dawn, just... Just go." Jenny said eventually. Dawn looked at her questioningly. "Go."

Dawn stood silently and walked out, wrapping her arms around herself and wandering blindly up to the hub. "Dawn?" Danny questioned. Dawn looked at him, swallowing back the tears.

"She hates me, Danny. And with good reason."

"No she doesn't." He soothed, wrapping her into a hug. "She's just... Off kilter. This has thrown her and she's upset."

"Danny, she's spent years in the shadow of Claudia Brown and now I went and made her real." Dawn pointed out morosely. Danny sighed.

"Dawn, eventually it's more than likely Claudia would have ended up here anyway. She and Steven would have escaped and the nearest anomaly was the Forest of Dean one. You said it yourself it's the most regular, stable one you've come across. They would have found it and they would have been bought here. Us finding them only made it happen a little sooner, that's all." He reasoned. Dawn nodded.

"Yeah." She agreed weakly. Danny looked at her.

"Wanna sneak out to the hospital?" He asked quietly. Dawn smiled slightly, nodding.

"Yeah. You got the drugs?"

"In my pocket." Danny looped an arm around her shoulders as they walked out. "What was the dosage?"

"One vial, injected straight into a vein." Dawn recited.

"And that'll cure her?" Danny said sceptically.

"Apparently the future of medicine is nano technology. The drug is actually a liquid full of nano creatures, that'll basically fix Sarah's brain once activated. They're activated when they leave the serum they're in- that happens when you inject them." Dawn explained as they climbed into his car.

"Clever." He commented. They drove to the hospital in tense silence, going straight to Sarah's room.

"Hey sweetheart." Danny greeted softly.

"Hi Sarah." Dawn glanced at her chart and saw she wasn't due another visit from a nurse or doctor for another few hours. "Okay. You ready?" She glanced at Danny, who nodded. Dawn withdrew a syringe she'd swiped from the medical bay when she'd been here earlier and carefully drew the liquid up into it, knocking out the air bubbles and glancing at Sarah's face. "Good luck." She whispered, before she plunged it into the crease of her elbow.

Danny's watched Sarah's face avidly. "Nothing's happening."

"It's not supposed to, you dork." Dawn sighed. "It's going to take a little while to work."

"How long's a little while?" He demanded.

"I don't know! It depends on her injuries, on the technology. Not for a good few hours at least."

Danny sighed, settling into the chair beside Sarah. "You should go back to the ARC. Claudia and Stephen are probably frightened enough as it is- they could do with a friendly face."

"You're staying here?"

Danny nodded. "I won't leave her."

Dawn smiled. "Good. I'll see you later." She leant over, kissed his cheek before kissing Sarah's and drove back to the ARC.

"Where on earth have you been?!" Lester demanded as soon as she'd walked into the hub. "Did I not make it blatantly clear that you were not to leave the ARC?"

Behind him, Dawn could see Matt and a wide eyed Jess sitting in his office. And she felt anger rise up within her. "You did." She confirmed with a shrug. "I just chose to ignore you."

Lester spluttered. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?!" He demanded.

"Wow, another person mad at me!" She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "You'll have to join the queue I'm afraid!" She called bitterly over her shoulder, waggling her fingers in the air as she walked away. Lester called after her but she ignored him, heading to the gym. She passed Becker with Emily in the corridor but he merely looked at her silently and kept walking while Emily shot her an apologetic look and hurried to catch up with him. Abby and Connor were huddled together but they both turned away when they saw her, ducking their heads. She scoffed under her breath and sped up, changing into looser clothes and rebraiding her hair before she turned the music up almost as loud as it would go.

And she began to dance.

It was early enough that nobody else was there yet, and even when soldiers began to arrive to train she didn't stop, merely turning the music down slightly. She barely noticed as they left and more arrived, the cycle continuing over and over even as Dawn spun and twirled relentlessly. Hours passed and sweat trickled down her body but she didn't stop.

She'd done this before, she remembered. When her father had returned from the Permian, when Stephen had died and Sarah was injured and Jenny and her father had left, and when her exams had gotten just a little too much with her teachers expecting so much from her. She'd just danced, until her muscles physically couldn't anymore and her feet had literally bled.

It was cathartic, in a masochistic kind of way she supposed. The first time had been an accident- she and her father had been arguing, Stephen was caught up with Allison and she'd been so alone in a new school. Her dance teacher had found her, sobbing on the floor of the dance studio with her ballet shoes stained red from the blood. She'd understood, but begged Dawn to come and talk with her instead the next time she felt like she had that day. And Dawn had, every time over the next few years until an ill timed car had ended it.

So now Dawn just danced, ignoring the worried murmurs of soldiers and the whispers from the staff who knew just how long she'd been in there. Eventually, her muscles gave out beneath her and she sank to her knees, gasping for breath. She glanced down at her throbbing feet- they weren't as damaged as they'd been in the past. She bent her head, waiting for her breathing to normalise before she rose gracefully and walked to the changing rooms, checking it was empty before she locked the door behind her, quickly showering before she bandaged her feet and swallowed the painkillers she knew she'd be needing later.

And then she let herself cry.


	27. Chapter 27

"Jess?" Jenny called across the ARC. "Do you know where Dawn is?"

"No. Should I?"

Jenny frowned unhappily. "Not sure." She looked her head into Lester's office, asked him the same question only to get another negative answer. She bit her lip, searching through the gym, the labs, the menagerie. In every place, the same answer was a no. Eventually, the only place she hadn't checked was the one place she really didn't want to go- the medical bay, where Claudia and Stephen were staying until the doctors were happier with their health situation.

She took a deep breath before she stepped in, glancing around and relaxing somewhat when she didn't spot her doppelgänger lingering anywhere. "Ms Lewis." The doctor on duty greeted. "Good morning. What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if Dawn was in here?" Jenny asked him with a smile. He shook his head.

"No. Should she be?" He questioned. Jenny sighed.

"No, I was just hoping she'd be. I can't find her anywhere."

"Did you check her lab? She has a nasty habit of shutting herself up in there without food or sleep for days on end, I've had to deal with her on more than one occasion when she's collapsed afterwards." He suggested.

"Yes I already looked there. Never mind, thank you anyway." She turned to go, only to come face to face with herself.

Claudia looked as shocked as she felt, both of them staring in silence at each other. "Well, now I see why Nick used to call me Claudia all the time." Jenny said eventually. Claudia swallowed.

"Yeah, I can see that too. Hello."

Jenny smiled ever so faintly. "Hello."

"Well this is awkward." Came the comment from behind Claudia. Jenny smiled wider to see Stephen leaning against the wall, even if she knew logically it wasn't really him.

"You two are not supposed to be and wandering about!" The doctor scolded.

"Sorry." They both mumbled. The doctor ushered them both back to their beds while Jenny continued on her search.

What Jenny didn't know was that Dawn had quickly devised a way of making it seem as if she wasn't in her labs when she was, by closing a partition between the centre lab and the one she was working in. To anyone looking in, it seemed as if the labs were locked up and empty when in reality she was sitting in one of the other rooms as she was right then. Around her, the new notes from the Permian era had moved in on one of the walls alongside the ones from her mothers' diary (sneaking into the medical bay without anyone seeing to retrieve them had really been too easy- if it wasn't so useful to her, she'd speak to Becker about the frankly appalling security). What really interested her weren't the notes though- it was the notebook, which had turned out to be a diary spanning over a decade and a half of her mothers' life. Unlike the other one, it wasn't in code and it was more of a place for her mother to vent, rather than the scientific notations the other had tended to often lapse into.

It had been begun when her mother found out she was pregnant and Dawn was strangely amused to discover that her assumption had been right- she had definitely not been planned (the fact that she was named after the exhibit she'd been conceived in was a little weird though, not least for the fact that her parents had decided that the 'Life at the Dawn of the Dinosaurs' display would be a good place to spend the night after a fundraiser. Dawn suspected there may have been copious amounts of alcohol involved there). She'd glanced at the end, just to see where it finished- the last entry was about the plan to return the future predator babies through the Permian anomaly with her father. Just before the timeline switch had taken place.

Dawn found herself grinning as she was reminded of some of her more... _Adventurous_ childhood escapades, seen through the eyes of her exasperated mother. She skipped over the bits that detailed the affair with Stephen though- Dawn really didn't want to know more about that than she already did. Mostly, the diary was simply filled with amusing anecdotes and rants about incompetent colleagues and frustrating students. Right up till a new passage started with the line 'I saw a dinosaur today. Alive.' Dawn read how her mother had been chased through the Forest of Dean into a supermarket car park and how it had prompted the discovery of the anomalies.

_'These creatures... They're extraordinary_." Her mother had written. _'And somehow, we've been given this amazing gift of the opportunity to study them like never before. The questions these... Rips could help answer. I can't wait to show Nick_.'

This had continued for a few pages, details of the anomaly and the creatures being scribbled down excitedly. Dawn couldn't pinpoint when exactly her mother had first started taking of going through the anomaly, it happened gradually. Until one passage caused her heart to stutter slightly.

_'I was supposed to show Nick today. I had it all planned out- I was using the creature sightings as an excuse. But as usual he ducked out of it, claimed he had to work. I argued and tried to persuade him but he eventually yelled that his work was more important than this. Fine- we'll see how important his work is when he finds us gone._'

"Us...?" Dawn murmured in confusion. She wasn't surprised to hear they'd argued- to be honest, in the months before her mother had disappeared she'd spent more time sleeping at Stephen's house than she had her own because of all the yelling.

_'I can't believe I actually did it. There's no going back- the rip closed behind us. I'm worried, about how Dawn will cope with such a change. I couldn't bear it if she hated me. Still, she's only seven. That's young enough not to remember properly, right? That might be some comfort..._

_'Anyway, it's far too late to change it now. (Or early, depending on how you look at it...) I can only hope that eventually, Dawn concentrates on the parent she has got and stops thinking about the one she lost. Besides, she already loves the creatures- I'm already anticipating having to stop her trying to keep one as a pet. We can do this, me and her. And we're going to be amazing._"

Dawn dropped the diary as if it had burnt her. Because if what her mother had said was true, she'd taken Dawn with her when she'd left.

She remembered the days after her mother had left, being in hospital with doctors and nurses and dreams of being in a desert with her mother. When she'd mentioned it aloud, everyone had assumed she was confused and mixing in their trip to northern Africa a few months before with her memories of the forest. After a while Dawn had thought that too.

Dawn wanted to scream. Even if her parents weren't both gone, she couldn't ask them about it anyway because neither of them remembered her beyond the point the timeline had changed, Stephen had sporadic memories at best and nobody else had been around a that point. And then her gaze was drawn across to where the bags were lying on the floor.

Dawn had managed to slip from the ARC unnoticed and had driven back to the forest of Dean, easily finding her way back to the anomaly. The soldiers frowned at her. "'Afternoon." She greeted sweetly, handing them the thermos she'd bought. "I thought you could use this."

The soldiers both smiled. "Thank you ma'am." The younger said gratefully. Dawn grinned, unlocking the gate and stepping in as if she were meant to be there. With a deep breath, she slid the anomaly device from her bag, holding it in front of her and hoping she'd gotten the settings right. With a press of a button, the anomaly sprung into life and Dawn walked through, ignoring the cries of the soldiers.

She closed it behind her, glancing around. The landscape had a few differences in the trees and formations, but on the whole it wasn't so different from the time she'd been there before. She walked over the hill to the rock outcrop where her mother's research station had been, climbing carefully down. The building hadn't been built yet, she noticed with relief- that indicated she'd gotten the time right anyway- but instead there was a small, one person tent standing beside a cold campfire.

Dawn unshouldered her bag and sat on the floor, crossing her legs as she leant against a rock and played absently with her bracelet. Before long, she heard the sounds of an approach, but she didn't move, simply looking up from where she was sitting.

Her heart skipped as she spotted her mother, looking more like Dawn remembered from when she was a child than ever before. She stopped dead when she saw Dawn, shock spreading over her face. "What…. How…?" She stammered. "_Dawn_?"

"You know who I am. Huh, that's a first." Muttered Dawn. Helen stared at her.

"My God, look at you." She whispered with an astonished smile. She came forward, dropping her own bag to the floor and lowering herself next to Dawn, reaching out to gently cup her face. "How are you here?"

"Same way as you, I'd imagine." Dawn replied dryly. "The anomaly in the Forest of Dean."

Helen bit her lip as she dropped her hand. "You're angry with me." she noted.

"You left us." Dawn snapped. "What did you think I would be?"

"Dawn, I didn't…" Helen began but Dawn shook her head, looking away. "Why are you here?"

Dawn swallowed, reaching into her bag and retrieving the most recent diary they'd found. Helen's eyes widened, and her gaze flickered towards her own bag. "I need to know the truth, and this is the only way to get it."

"The truth about what sweetie?" came the confused question.

"I've spent twelve years thinking that you abandoned me in that forest." Dawn said quietly. "That you left me behind to die so you could get away. And then I read this, and it tells me that actually, you saved me by leaving me, and all those weeks that I thought were dreams and false memories were actually real. I don't know what to believe anymore… I need to know, mum, please."

"You really thought I would just leave you to die?" Helen cried.

"I don't know! It's been twelve years!" Dawn yelled, tears in her eyes.

"Dawn, I would die for you in an instant!" her mother told her fiercely.

"Then why did you leave me there!?" Dawn cried. Her mother reached out to cup her face.

"I didn't! I bought you with me, the diary's true!" Dawn stared at her through the veil of tears. "The diary's true." Helen repeated. "We lived here in the Permian for two months. You loved it. After a while you stopped asking about Nick and Stephen and we just… existed and it was wonderful. The plan was to go through another anomaly when one came, but then… then you got sick."

"Sick?"

Helen nodded. "It started off as a slight temperature. I kept you close to camp for a few days and assumed it was just a cold. But you got worse and worse, your temperature was dangerously high and you were hallucinating. You called out for your father and for Stephen almost constantly. You were in pain, crying, begging me to make it stop and I just… I didn't know what was wrong with you. And then the anomaly opened again so I took you back, assuming it would be about two months later there as well, but it wasn't. It was the next day, and I saw a newspaper proclaiming that the police were looking for me in regards to kidnapping you, because I'd taken you without Nick's consent. I was carrying you around like I had when you were a child so there was no way we could go any distance in the time we needed to. So I did the only thing I could think of."

"You left me in the forest." Dawn whispered. Helen nodded.

"I dressed you back into your school uniform so no one would get suspicious and I sat with you until I heard the search team near. You were delirious, but you knew it was me. You told me you loved me, almost like you knew I was leaving and then I had to run. I jumped through the anomaly just as it was closing and… that was it." She finished, looked weary.

"They found me in the forest with your bag. The doctors thought I had hyperthermia." Dawn murmured. "I was unconscious for four days, wasn't allowed home until three days after that. But way didn't you come back?"

"You were with your Stephen and your father by that point, you didn't need me." Helen waved her hand in the air.

"No, I mean back to all of us! Dad loved you, he never stopped until the whole Claudia fiasco! He would have welcomed you back in a heartbeat!"

"Who's Claudia?" her mother questioned. Dawn sighed.

"You'll find out in about five years." She answered, rubbing her head. Helen leant back against the rock.

"It's complicated Dawn. More so than you could imagine." She defended herself.

"Complicated? You want complicated? Try living my life! It's like living in an insane asylum on a good day!" Dawn cried. "You don't get to use that as an excuse!"

"What did you come here for, Dawn? To have a chance to yell at me, accuse me? Because if that's it then I'm done here!" Helen began to stand.

"Oh, run away again. You're good at that aren't you?" Dawn spat.

"You're a child Dawn, you have no idea what's going on here!"

"I'm nineteen!" Dawn retorted angrily. "And I know that you chose to walk away from your family. Do you know dad went basically insane? That it got to the point where Uncle Stephen refused to allow me to go home to him, because he was scared what would happen? That I spent weeks being passed around from relative to relative and family friends until Uncle Stephen managed to sober up Dad enough that he actually knew who I was? That even then, he spent more time pouring over your files to find a clue than he did even sleeping? You broke his heart."

Helen had frozen. "I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't because you chose to run away!" Dawn yelled furiously. There was a silence. "Oh, what the hell does it even matter?" she sighed. She grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

"You're leaving?" Her mother asked.

"I may have inherited the instinct to run from you, but I _always_ go back." Dawn told her firmly. "Bye mum."

She walked away, clambering back up the hill as fast as she could and was about to reopen the anomaly but was stopped by the sound of her name. "Dawn!" her mother jogged up behind her, coming to a stop a little way away as Dawn just looked tiredly at her.

"I don't know what's happened to make you look at me like you do, but I know you're my daughter. However old you are." Helen said quietly. Dawn tilted her head.

"How do I look at you?" she questioned in confusion.

"Like there's a part of you that's frightened of me." Helen cupped her face. Dawn began to say something but she shushed her. "It doesn't matter. The future is the future, what will happen will happen. But… whatever you think of me, I only ever do what I think is right. Please believe that."

Dawn nodded, biting her lip against the tears that threatened to choke her. "I have to go. I can't stay here." She whispered.

"Why not?"

"Because I'll change things. I'll change my own timeline, and I wouldn't even regret it so I need to go before I do." Dawn explained, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"Oh, sweetie don't cry." Her mother stepped forward, gently wiping her cheeks with her thumb. Dawn bit down hard in her lip, fumbling with the device to open the anomaly. "What is that?" asked her mother in shock. Dawn smiled.

"From the future. My future, actually, I'm not supposed to have it. I'm breaking the rules a bit." Dawn smiled tearfully.

"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" Helen murmured with a soft smile. She tucked a lock of hair behind Dawn's ear. The girl smiled at her, before stepping away. Helen dropped her hand and let her go, crossing her arms as she watched her go.

"Mum?" Dawn looked back. "Just… I love you. That's not going to change."

"I know sweetie. I love you too." Helen smiled, a little confusedly. Dawn shook her head.

"No you don't understand. You need to remember it. Promise me you'll remember?" Dawn pleaded. Helen nodded.

"I promise." She agreed, nonplussed but pleased. Dawn looked at her for a long moment, before impulsively she stepped forward and hugged her fiercely. Helen wrapped her arms around her gladly, pressing a kiss to her head as she savoured having her daughter in her arms again. Dawn stepped away, gave her a weak smile and with one last, heartbroken glance she walked back through the glittering anomaly.

And was met by an irate Lester, a furious Jenny with an angry team alongside several bemused soldiers. Dawn paused. "Whoops. Apparently I got the timings wrong." She commented.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Jenny snapped, striding forward and catching hold of her angrily. Dawn glared at her.

"What do you care?" she asked irritably. Jenny frowned.

"Dawn!" she admonished. They were all distracted by the anomaly flickering and Dawn inhaled sharply as her mother stepped through. The soldiers all swung their weapons around and there were shouts of alarm from those who recognised her. She seemed largely unaffected, merely quirking an eyebrow.

"Mum?" questioned Dawn. Helen stepped toward her, prompting all the soldiers to stiffen and ready their guns. Dawn rolled her eyes. "Oh, enough." She snapped. Helen held out a brown diary towards her.

"I didn't peek." She promised drolly. She raised her eyebrows at the people surrounding them. "A little different from the last time I was here." She murmured to Dawn. "More future stuff, I presume?"

"What the hell Dawn?!" Abby exclaimed once she'd recovered her voice.

"Bloody hell, you've gone as mad as she is." Connor muttered, just loud enough for Dawn to hear. She gritted her teeth, and ignored them, nodding in answer to her mother and taking the diary with a small smile. Helen winked at her.

"Don't look so worried sweetie. You've seen a future version of me- you know nothing happens here…"

"Time can be rewritten, it can be changed. Please don't take the chance." Dawn asked anxiously, hugging the diary to her. Helen's face softened slightly and she nodded.

"Until the next time then." She smiled, trailing her fingers over the side of Dawn's face for a moment before she ran back through the anomaly. Dawn quickly closed it behind her. Dawn felt the eyes of everyone on her but she ignored them, stowing the diary safely in her rucksack and walking away. There were shouts and calls but she simply took off running. She'd visited these woods with her father several times a year, and knew them almost as well as she knew London. She reached her car and had driven off before anyone else had even broken the tree line.

She drove back to London in silence, heading towards home when her phone rang. She glanced at it, sighing when she saw it was Anna, a friend of hers from school she performed with. "_Where are you?_" came the immediate demand as soon as she'd pressed answer on the Bluetooth system. Dawn blinked.

"Um… driving? Why?"

"_Because we're supposed to go on stage in half an hour, and you're still not here!_"

Dawn frowned, mind floundering until she remembered. "Oh bugger! I'll be right there!" she promised, wrenching the wheel around and accelerating down a side street. She was there in ten minutes, thankful it hadn't been her turn to bring the costumes. "Sorry sorry sorry!" she apologised. The other three glared at her.

"You realise that you're our lead female singer and we can't do half of this without you, right?" Anna demanded.

"I'm sorry, it's been… a crazy couple of days." Dawn stripped off and into stepped into the dress she was supposed to be wearing, smirking at the choked noised from the two boys. Anna looked unhappy but began warm ups with her, soon forgetting about her tardiness.

At least the ARC team won't know to look her here, Dawn thought as she loosened her hair and ran a straightener through it before she tied a masquerade mask around her face. Beside her, the other band members were doing the same and Dawn smiled at them with crimson lips. "Ready?"

They all nodded, and took their places as the lights came up. Dawn now remembered that they were due to perform for four hours, with a half hour break in the middle. The first two hours passed quickly, and they bounced off stage smiling and laughing. "Dawn, your bag is beeping." Anna pointed out. Dawn's eyes widened.

She scrambled over to it and dug out her detector, swearing colourfully as she saw the anomaly was in the same building she was. "Seriously?" she muttered. She slipped away from her friends and followed it, finding that there were empty rooms above the club that weren't used for anything but storage. Unfortunately, while that meant there were no people around, it was the perfect place for creatures to hide in.

Dawn swallowed thickly and trod carefully, trying to not trip in the heels she was wearing. And froze as she came face to face with a baby woolly mammoth. "Well… this could get complicated." She murmured. The baby trumpeted softly, shifting nervously. "It's OK." Dawn soothed, edging past him. He made another soft noise and followed her closely. "Come on then." She sighed, continuing to walk. Eventually she found the anomaly, and quickly realised the problem.

"It wasn't big enough for your mum was it?" she reached out and gently rubbed the trunk of the mammoth, trying to urge it towards the anomaly but he refused to go. Dawn groaned, then heard footsteps from behind her. The mammoth startled, trumpeting and attempting to back away. "It's ok, it's ok. Shh." Dawn reached out for it, gently calming it down as she glanced at the soldiers who had just entered alongside Matt. She gritted her teeth when she saw Peter was one of them.

"Step away from the creature and put your hands on your head ma'am!" Matt ordered firmly. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"For Gods sake Matt, I know I'm wearing a mask but surely I'm not that unrecognisable!" she exclaimed in irritation. Matt's eyes widened.

"Dawn?" he questioned in surprise. "Sorry- what are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?"

"There's a club downstairs, I'm performing tonight and I have maybe fifteen minutes before I'm expected back on stage so can we please hurry up?" Dawn explained shortly. With difficulty, they began to try to urge the baby back through the anomaly, but the oncoming people simply caused him to panic and trumpet loudly.

"This isn't working." Sighed Matt. He glanced around as the entire team ran in. Dawn raised her eyebrows.

"You know, I'm thinking maybe we should start to work shifts. This is getting ridiculous." She commented, counting them mentally. Connor, Abby, Emily, Jenny, Becker, Danny, her and Matt and presumably Claudia, Sarah and Stephen as soon as they were able to, in addition to all of the soldiers. It was lot of people.

"Dawn? Why are you dressed like that?" questioned Connor in confusion. She rolled her eyes.

"Mammoth!" she prompted. The creature was visibly panicked, attempting to bolt in every direction but the one it needed to. They attempted to herd it back through but to no avail; it simply lashed out and trumpeted in fright. It might have been a baby but it was still powerful, as Abby was quick to remind them. They were stood trying to figure out what to do, when a voice rang out and made Dawn's stomach flip.

"Dawn? Are you up here?"

Dawn's eyes widened. "Stay there!" she shouted frantically. There was a pause.

"What are you doing? Where are you?"

Dawn glanced at the team apologetically, biting her lip as she grabbed her bag from where she'd dropped it. "I'm coming! Just… stay there!" she glanced to Matt, mouthing an apology and ran out.

"Who was that?" asked Abby. Jenny was frowning.

"I recognised his voice…"

Dawn meanwhile was downstairs, being chewed out by her bandmates while prepping to go back on stage. "Well where were you?!" Anna demanded. Dawn sighed.

"Just leave it!" she exclaimed. "Why does it matter?"

Anna opened her mouth again but a woman poked her head in the door, her hair held back by a headset and instructed them to go back on stage. Dawn lost herself in the music for a while, until movement in the crowd attracted her attention and her eyes widened slightly when she saw the ARC team sitting down, several soldiers including Peter in tow. She stiffened, catching Anna's eyes but shook her head minutely to reassure her. She smiled though as the next- the last- song came on.

"The boy singing with her- why is he so familiar!?" Abby hissed. Jenny was frowning in concentration.

"It's Tommy!" she realised.

"Who's Tommy?" asked Connor in a whisper.

"Her ex boyfriend!" Jenny answered, hushed. "They dated on and off for a while when she was in school- they finally broke up when she started uni."

"Oh, I remember him." Danny narrowed his eyes. "He broke her heart."

"It looks like she got over it." Emily observed. Jenny was satisfied to see jealousy flashing across Peter's face, especially as Tommy spun Dawn and pulled her flush against him, a smirk playing across his lips.

_Here's to all that we kissed_

_And to all that we missed_

_To the biggest mistakes_

_That we just wouldn't trade_

_To us breaking up_

_Without us breaking down_

_To whatever's come our way_

_Here's to us_

_Here's to love_

_All the times that we messed up_

_Here's to you, fill the glass_

_Cause the last few nights have kicked my ass_

_So let's give 'em hell_

_Wish everybody well_

_Here's to us_

"They sound good together." Matt acknowledged, tilting his head. Peter ground his teeth as the song ended with a flourish, and the crowd stood to give the four on stage a rousing ovation. They bowed and disappeared though the back although Dawn didn't remain gone for long, quickly joining them at her table with her mask clasped in her hand.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked. They all looked at each other.

"They realised they were idiots." Danny said helpfully. She raised an eyebrow.

"Look, Dawn…" Matt began. "We shouldn't have been so quick you condemn you when we didn't understand why you'd done what you did."

Dawn crossed her arms, looking at them unhappily. "You should have trusted me." she said quietly. "I know I'm not always the easiest person to get along with, but you all know me. You should _know_ that I would never do anything to cause harm to anyone."

They all looked faintly guilty. "We're really sorry Dawn." Connor told her earnestly. "We just… got a bit messed up for a minute. But we do know you wouldn't have done what you did without a good reason."

Dawn nodded, her expression becoming less angry as her phone rang in her pocket. She glanced at the screen, frowning. "What's wrong honey?" asked Jenny.

"It's the hospital." She answered it with a confused frown, her eyes widening as she listened to whoever was on the other end. "She's awake?"

"Who's awake?" questioned Matt in bemusement.

"Sarah." A smile began to spread across her face as she turned to Danny excitedly. "It worked! Oh my God, Danny it worked! Sarah's okay!"


	28. Chapter 28

Danny's eyes widened and he stared at her for a long moment, before he spun her in the air, kissing her cheek. "You are amazing." He told her excitedly. "Can we see her?"

She nodded vigorously, blowing a kiss to Tommy and Anna who were watching from the other side of the room as they all ran out. Dawn couldn't stop beaming, bouncing eagerly as Danny grabbed her hand and they rushed to the hospital. "Excuse me!" a disapproving nurse called out. "It's past visiting hours. You'll have to call back in the morning. Especially with so many of you."

"Oh, please, our friend just woke up from a coma she's been in for over two years!" Abby said pleadingly. The nurse shook her head.

"I'm sorry. Rules are rules."

"Oh come on." Danny said. "Have a heart."

Dawn carefully slipped her high shoes off, and as they were arguing she crept away, running silently down the corridor until she reached Sarah's room, pausing only to wink at Danny, who carried on distracting the nurse. She knocked gently and peeked in.

"Sarah!" she breathed with a bright smile. The brunette looked up hopefully.

"Dawn!" she held out her arms and Dawn hurried over, sitting on the edge of the bed to lean in and hug her tightly.

"I've missed you so much!" she whispered. "The others are all outside too, but the nurse didn't want to let us in."

"The others? You mean Danny and Abby and Connor? They're ok, they made it back?" asked Sarah eagerly. Dawn nodded with a smile.

"About a year after they disappeared. A _lot_ has changed."

Sarah looked sad. "The doctor said i've been in a coma for over two years." Dawn gripped her hand.

"It's okay. Lester's still as sarcastic as ever, Danny is head over heels in love with you and Abby and Connor are head over heels for each other. Not that much is different." She assured her. Sarah smiled.

"And your dad?" she questioned. Dawn shook her head.

"That hasn't changed either." She joked weakly. "Jenny's back though! She's married now, to a musician called Michael. He's nice, not the type of person you'd envision her with but they're really in love, so maybe that's a good thing."

Sarah smiled. "I'm glad for her. And Becker, how is he?"

"He's okay." Dawn's smile faded slightly. "He and Jess- that's our field coordinator- like each other but Becker's too stubborn to admit it."

"What was that look for?" Sarah questioned. Dawn looked confused.

"What look?"

"The one that crossed your face when I mentioned Becker. Did something happen?"

Dawn sighed. "He's mad at me at the moment. It's nothing." Sarah looked suspicious. "Really! Oh, you missed Claudia and Stephen arriving too!" she remembered.

"Who?" Sarah looked more and more confused, so Dawn began to explain everything from the beginning. She'd only gotten up to the setting up of the new ARC though when the door opened and Danny came in, closely followed by Abby, Connor and Becker.

"Sarah!" the first breathed happily. Her face lit up and he crossed to her, embracing her warmly.

"How did you get past the warden?" Dawn asked the other three, standing to give the two on the bed some privacy.

"We went around the back way." Grinned Connor. "Oi, Danny boy, let the rest of us see her, yeah?"

Danny chuckled and pulled back, allowing the other three to hug Sarah tightly. "Dawn was just filling me in on what I missed." Sarah explained once they'd pulled back and sat around the bed, all apart from Danny, who lay next to Sarah and allowed her to cuddle into him.

Between them all, they all filled Sarah in up to the present day. "So are you two engaged?" she asked Connor and Abby bluntly. They both stammered and looked at each other.

"Yes! We knew it!" Dawn crowed. "Jess owes me fifty pounds."

"You were betting on us?!" protested Abby.

"Of course we were." She shrugged.

"You two aren't exactly discreet." Becker added. "Actually, I think the entirety of the ARC has placed a bet at some point. Jess in charge of it."

"What did you bet on Dawn?" Connor asked, wincing as Abby elbowed him.

"That it would take someone asking you outright before you admitted you were engaged. Matt thought Connor would slip up, Jess thought you'd announce it a few weeks ago and Lester thought you'd wait until christmas to tell everyone."

"I thought you were likely to blurt it out by accident, Abby, probably to Jess or Jenny." Becker recalled. "Emily bet that you'd simply wait until someone noticed an engagement ring, Jenny thought you'd elope and then tell us afterwards…"

"Oh, and Danny thought you'd just sort of arrange things and let people work it out for themselves. The rest of the staff were mostly just betting on when exactly you'd tell people." Dawn finished. Abby and Connor sighed.

"And we thought we'd hid it so well." Connor said ruefully. Sarah giggled at them, yawning.

"We should let you rest." Abby nudged Dawn to stand and pulled Connor to his feet, hugging Sarah gently. "We'll come by tomorrow." She promised.

"Thanks Abby." She smiled. Dawn leant over to kiss her cheek, waving at Danny as she followed Abby out, soon followed by Connor and Becker.

"You need a lift Dawn?" Connor yawned.

"I'll take her." Becker interceded. Abby and Connor looked hesitant, glancing at her in silent questioned. She nodded.

"Sure." She said quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow guys."

Abby and Connor quietly bade them goodnight and walked off hand in hand, leaving Dawn to follow Becker silently to his car. They drove in silence for a while. "I'm sorry." Becker blurted suddenly.

"For what?"

"Really Dawn?" he sighed. She just looked at him.

"It could be for several things. For being an ass, for being completely unprofessional not to mention disrespectful, for continuing to be an idiot, for-"

"Okay okay!" he cried. "I get it. I'm _sorry_. Dawn… I've seen you at your very best but I've also seen you at your very worst. I worry about you." He admitted.

"So you treat me like crap?" Dawn questioned in confusion, anger running through her. He sighed.

"I was angry at myself." He said softly. "It's my job to look after you and I didn't even know you were dating, let alone that you were in a relationship with my second in command!"

"I don't understand. Becker, you've been treating me worse than my dad did when the timeline first changed!" Dawn cried. He flinched.

"I… I'm sorry." He murmured. "I just… Dawn…" he struggled to find the words, so she remained silent, noticing absently they were now sitting outside her house. He shifted in his seat so he was facing her, taking a deep breath. "I have to protect all the ARC staff, but you… you more than the others." He began. She frowned.

"Why? I'm no different to them."

"I know. But to me you are. Don't ask me to explain it because I can't, but it's the same with most of the main team. For some reason, the urge to protect you is so much stronger for all of us. So when I found out you'd been lying to me, and that could have put you in danger…" he trailed off.

"I was dating your second in command, Becker. Nothing could've happened." She said gently.

"What if you hadn't been Dawn? What if you'd been dating someone else, someone dangerous? Then what?" he demanded.

"Then I wouldn't have kept it from you." She answered quietly. "Becker, I trust you implicitly. If you chose Peter as your second in command then you must have trusted him, so I did to. But if it had been anyone else I would have told you, just in case."

He looked at her, and nodded. "I'm sorry for acting how I have been."

"And I'm sorry for lying." She replied with a small smile. He reached out, hugging her fiercely. "I'll see you tomorrow Becker."

She climbed out and waved as he drove off, letting herself into the house. Sid and Nancy skidded out to greet her and she patted them. "Was that Captain Becker I saw?" Emily asked from the top of the stairs. Dawn looked up at her.

"Yeah. He gave me a lift from the hospital."

"How is your friend? Sarah?" Emily asked her gently. Dawn smiled.

"She's really good. She's going to be fine."

Emily watched her knowingly. "You and Danny went through the anomaly to fetch medication that could heal her, didn't you? Just like Ethan and I did with Charlotte."

Dawn bit her lip, nodding sheepishly. "We had to try." She whispered. Emily inclined her head.

"I understand. I won't tell." She assured her. Dawn smiled gratefully at her. "Goodnight Dawn."

"Night Em."

Dawn threw herself onto the sofa, yawning as she processed everything that had happened and against her will, her gaze was drawn to the picture of her parents on their wedding day that sat on the piano.

She closed her eyes, and slept.

Dawn woke the next morning to Emily shaking her gently. "Hm?" she questioned blearily. "It's time to get up. We're going to be late if you don't." the brunette told her lightly. Dawn groaned slightly, but sat up.

"Thanks Em." She murmured, rubbing her eyes and stumbling upstairs. Emily laughed lightly at her, gathering a cup of coffee for her and picking up the post from where it had fallen onto the door matt. She was sat sipping tea when Dawn finally came back down, her hair lose around her shoulders as she padded into the room.

"Good morning." Smiled Emily in amusement. "There's post on the side for you."

"Thanks." Yawned Dawn. She opened it as she nibbled toast, eyes widening as she came across one.

"Is everything okay?" noticed Emily. Dawn nodded, biting her lip with a hidden smile.

Jenny meanwhile was sat in the break room, talking quietly with Michael on the phone. "I don't know honey. I can't organise that by Friday." she told him tiredly, glancing up and stilling when she saw Claudia.

Claudia swallowed but nodded politely, closely followed by Stephen as she came into the room fully. Jenny smiled tightly, tuning back into what Michael was saying. "I know that." She told him. "But if you want it to be half decent I can't do it this week."

He groaned. "_Alright. I'll tell them next week instead._"

"Sorry honey." Jenny sighed. "Look, I have to go, I'm due to start in five. I'll see you later?"

"_Yeah, I'll see you at home. I love you Jen_."

She smiled. "I love you too."

She hung up, leaning back as her bad mood lifted slightly at his words. "Jen Jen Jen!" Dawn burst in, throwing herself towards Jenny in a blur of speed.

"Dawn slow down!" she scolded with a laugh, catching her in her arms before she could crash into her completely and turning her to sit beside her. Claudia and Stephen looked on in amusement. "What is it?"

"Look." Dawn handed her the letter, which Jenny took and quickly read.

"Oh my God! Dawn, is this real?" she questioned in shock. Dawn nodded excitedly. Jenny looked at her with her mouth open. "Honey, this is amazing. How on earth did you manage it?"

"Daughter of two palaeontologists." Dawn shrugged with a bright smile. Jenny grinned at her, wrapping her into a tight hug.

"I'm proud of you." She whispered. Dawn smiled wider, snuggling into her. "What did the others say?" Jenny asked.

Daw bit her lip shyly. "I haven't told them yet." She admitted. Jenny looked surprise.

"Didn't you pass them on the way here?"

Dawn nodded, and Jenny's eyes widened even further. "Dawn..." she trailed off, as Dawn simply rested her head on Jenny's shoulder. The older brunette smiled happily.

The door swung open loudly just then and Abby, Connor, Becker, Matt, Emily and Jess tumbled in. "Morning all!" Connor greeted cheerfully, shooting a wave towards Claudia and Stephen before plonking down next to the pair on the sofa.

"What's up?" asked Becker, eyeing them where they sat. Jenny nudged Dawn.

"Tell them." She urged. Dawn blushed shyly.

"I'm going to graduate university this year with a first class honours." She smiled, biting her lip and ducking her head.

"You've only been there for two years! It was a four year course!" Connor exclaimed. Dawn reddened further.

"My professors let me take all my exams early." She explained. "I explained to them why I wasn't coming to class and they agreed that if I passed them all I could graduate."

"That's amazing Dawn!" Jess beamed, skipping forward to throw her arms around her. Dawn grinned.

"Thanks Jess."

"She's right." Becker agreed. "Congratulations Dawn."

He wrapped his arms around her for a moment, before Connor snatched her away and lifted her in the air slightly. "Your dad would be so proud of you." He told her. She smiled.

"Thanks Con."

"We're all proud of you." Abby told her, drawing her into her own embrace. Emily and Matt voiced their agreement, pulling her into hugs of their own.

"What are you all doing in here anyway?" Dawn questioned.

"Celebrating that Abby and Connor _finally _admitted they're engaged!" Jess squealed happily. Emily winced slightly at the high pitch while Dawn just smiled.

"Did they?" she smirked, glancing at the pair.

"Well it took them long enough." Jenny grumbled good naturedly, reaching out to wrap an arm around Dawn who was laughing silently. Jess eyed them, then pouted.

"You already knew." She crossed her arms.

"Sorry Jess." Dawn apologised, lips twitching. "They told me yesterday when we were with Sarah."

Jess pouted deeper. "Not fair." She told Abby and Connor, who looked vaguely sheepish. Dawn just smirked.

"I'm sorry, do I pay you all to sit around and do nothing?" Lester had appeared at the doorway, regarding them sternly.

"You pay us?" asked Dawn in mock surprise. He fixed her with a look and made a shoeing motion towards them, urging them back to work. They all stood and began to head towards their respective jobs, leaving Lester standing with Claudia and Stephen.

"Who's her father?" questioned Claudia.

"Hm?" Lester glanced at her.

"Dawn. Connor said her father would be proud of her." she explained. Lester's expression tightened.

"I think that would be something better explained by her."

He turned on his heel and walked out, leaving the pair behind to exchange a confused glance.


	29. Chapter 29

Becker wandered into the hub on Monday morning, smiling at Jess, who was sat at the ADD sipping a coffee. "Hi Jess." He greeted. She looked at him strangely.

"Hi…"

"I was wondering, have you tried that new Chinese a few streets over? They have the best lemon chicken I've ever tasted." He said awkwardly.

"Ooh, the one with the duck on the logo?" Jess asked excitedly. "I went there last week! The spring rolls are to die for!"

"Really? I'll have to try them next time…" he trailed off.

"Becker?"

"Yes Jess?"

"… What did you do to your tongue?" she asked abruptly. He frowned.

"What?"

"It's… it's sort of… blue." Jess pointed out, handing him a mirror from her bag. He frowned, poking his tongue out to study it in the mirror.

"Did you eat a smurf or something?" Stephen laughed as he walked up with a grinning Claudia. Becker scowled.

"Connor!" he exclaimed angrily, remembering the coffee he'd been handed earlier that day. He handed the mirror back to Jess and stormed off to find the man.

Claudia and Stephen exchanged a glance with Jess. "Is it always like this?" Stephen asked.

"Pretty much." She nodded with an affectionate smile as she thought of the strange little team she worked with.

The next day, Becker was followed by stares and giggles everywhere he went. He frowned, checking his appearance in the mirror but unable to see what on earth was wrong. It wasn't until an amused Emily gently pointed out an addition to his clothing that he finally thought to check his back. He scowled at the picture of a cartoon T-Rex that was sewn onto his shirt, with the caption 'Dino's 4eva!' "Dawn!" he sighed, doubting any of the men in this place even knew how to sew. The teenager however, was conspicuously absent for the rest of the day.

A few days later, Becker was sat in a thrumming hub as technicians ran around him, overly excited about something. He didn't understand much about it himself. He jumped however, when he heard his ringtone go off and patted around for his phone, only to see one of the scientists across from him answer his instead. That was weird, he thought. 'Staying Alive' wasn't an overly popular ringtone.

So when he heard it again ten minutes later, he reached once again for his phone, only to see Jess answer hers. He frowned. "Jess?"

She glanced at him. "Mm?"

"Never mind." He looked at his hands, his scowl becoming deeper as the ringtone rang four more times, each time picked up by a different person and each time prompting him to go reaching for his own phone (which he still hadn't found). "Very funny Quinn!" he yelled, remembering that the man had come back to work while Sarah was in physiotherapy, only to see Connor shaking with silent laughter from where he sat. "Connor!"

The dark haired man let out a snort, clamping his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing further. Becker let out a growl of frustration and stormed off towards his office, only to have it happen again in the corridor. He flopped down in his chair unhappily, when he heard the ringtone again. Figuring that he was in his own office now, he hunted for the phone. His desk, his jacket, his rucksack- none of them contained the mobile which was now ringing on and off. He let out a cry of frustration. "TEMPLE!" He roared. He strode into the hub, seething, only to be bought up short when he found it empty.

"Everything okay Becker?" came a voice from behind. He spun around to see Dawn standing there innocently.

"Where's Temple?" he ground out. She blinked.

"I don't know. What's wrong?" she tilted her head, watching him.

"Nothing!" he stomped towards the labs, leaving Dawn behind him. She glanced over to where Connor was emerging from behind a desk. He held out his hand, and she high fived him with a bright grin.

Another few days, Dawn crouched with Connor and Danny around the corner from the offices that all sat down one corridor. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked an amused Danny.

"Yes!" Connor and Dawn answered together, exchanging a grin. They continued to watch, until thy saw Becker headed down towards them.

"There he is!" murmured Dawn. She glanced at Connor, saw him beaming. Becker went to open the door, then frowned when the lock clicked but nothing happened. He shook the handle, putting his weight against him but nothing happened.

Dawn and Connor pushed Danny forward, grinning and urging him on. He rolled his eyes, but approached Becker with an easy friendly. "You alright there mate?"

"No! Damn thing won't open!"

"I see." Danny looked at the door. "Since when has it been frosted?"

"What?" Becker looked up at the small window, eyes widening as he took in the covered glass.

"Is that… marshmallows?" Danny asked in amusement.

"They filled my office with marshmallows?!" Becker cried. Danny choked back a laugh.

"At least they stopped you from opening the door." He managed.

"But how am I supposed to get in?!" Becker demanded. At this, Dawn and Connor finally lost it and burst into laughter, attracting the attention of the two men.

"Run!" Connor hooted, grabbing her hand. They bolted through the corridors, closely followed by the irate soldier.

"You go left, I'll go right!" Dawn gasped out, her sides aching from laughing and running at the same time. Connor nodded, releasing her hand and Dawn sprinted towards the hub. She mentally cursed when she realised that Becker had chosen to follow her and she crashed through the doors, alerting Lester, Jess, Jenny, Claudia and Stephen who were all standing there. "Help me!" she giggled, panting as she hid behind an entertained Jenny.

"DAWN ALEXANDRA CUTTER!" Becker roared as he sprinted in after her, crossing the room in a few steps and grabbing her from behind Jenny. She shrieked, wriggling as his fingers dug into her side.

"No!"

He grinned evilly as he easily found her weak spots, causing her to squeal with laughter as he tickled her, her legs giving way and causing them both to crash to the ground, not that that stopped Becker from continuing his assault. She gasped for breath as she writhed and tried to get away from him, laughing breathlessly as his fingers dug into her skilfully. "Stop, stop!"

"Nope. Not till you apologise."

Dawn shrieked. "Jenny help me!"

Jenny chuckled, shaking her head. "Sorry honey, you're on your own there."

"Jen!" she protested as Becker doubled his assault. As he did, Matt and Emily walked in and stopped at the sight in front of them.

"Matt help!" Dawn called in a gasp. He shook his head.

"I'm not that stupid!" he grinned. Dawn pouted and shrieked again.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry! Stop Becker!"

He didn't let up, grinning. "So what aren't you going to do again?"

"Prank you!" she laughed, attempting to fend him off. "I'm not gonna prank you!"

"Good." He smiled, finally releasing her. She lay there, breathing heavily and laughing as she looked up to a smug Becker.

"I don't care. It was worth it!" she managed, taking Matt's offered arm and climbing to her feet. Becker raised an eyebrow at her.

"Mmhm. Now I'm going to find Connor- if you see him, remind him I know where he lives." He walked off leaving Dawn to grin satisfactorily. Lester just sighed.

"You wouldn't believe I run a government agency and not a preschool." He muttered. "Back to work, all of you!"

They groaned and moved away while Dawn just smirked to herself as she hopped onto a table and began to read through the research she'd left there earlier. "He called you Cutter."

Dawn started, not realising she wasn't alone as she looked up at Claudia and Stephen. "Sorry?"

"Becker. He called you Dawn Alexandra Cutter." Claudia repeated shakily. Dawn paled.

"Oh." She swallowed heavily. "I… I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to find out like that."

"I'm still not sure what it is exactly we're finding out!" snapped Stephen tersely. Dawn sighed lightly, ducking her head.

"I'm the daughter of Nick and Helen Cutter." She admitted softly, not lifting her head to meet their eyes and so she missed their reaction.

"No." she heard Claudia say unsteadily. She finally looked up, the question on her face. "No we would have known if Nick had a daughter."

"I didn't exist in your timeline." Dawn explained tiredly. "Dad and mum came through from the Permian with no clue I even who I was. Heck, mum didn't find out for over a year." She laughed humourlessly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" demanded Stephen.

"And what good would that have done?" Dawn asked. "Made you distrust me even more?"

They both fell silent but Dawn didn't need an answer. She smiled sadly at them both. "It's OK. I already know."

She slipped from the desk and walked away silently. "Dawn?" Claudia called out suddenly. She paused but didn't turn. "I don't believe in the sins of the parent. You might be Helen's daughter but your Nick's as well and that's good enough for me."

Dawn looked at her in astonishment. "Thank you…" she whispered. Claudia nodded and Dawn rushed away before Stephen could say anything, sure she knew that whatever it was it would hurt her. She didn't go to her labs, instead running right out of the ARC only to remember that she'd fallen asleep at Jenny and Michael's the night before and hadn't driven that morning. She kept running though, glad she was still in her dance clothes from when Connor had dragged her away to inform her Becker had arrived earlier than planned.

She slowed when she was far enough away, walking blindly until she'd reached the cemetery and made her way over to Stephen's grave, falling to her knees beside it. She regarded it in silence for a minute. "I want to hate him. I want to pretend I don't know him and that he means nothing. But I can't because… he's you. In so many ways even though at the same time he isn't you!"

She closed her eyes briefly, her head bowed. "I miss you." She said brokenly. "Why did you leave? We could have found another way, once that didn't involve you _sacrificing _yourself!" She let out a sob. "I see how they look at me… like they're waiting for me to snap so they can all say 'I told you so'. Even Connor and Abby and they were so willing to believe that I did without questioning it. You wouldn't have, I know you wouldn't have. But then you actually did, didn't you?" she laughed humourlessly, shifting so she could wrap her arms around her legs. "I want to see you, but I can't. The ARC would detect the anomaly."

She sighed, resting her chin on her knees and sat in silence for a while, only realising how long when she saw the sky had become pink and red as the sun sank beyond the skyscrapers. But she still could bring herself to move.

"Dawn?" a voice from behind her had her turning.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"Claudia mentioned you'd run off, Jenny was worried and sent me and Becker out to find you. Can I sit?"

Dawn shrugged. "Free country."

She didn't move even as she felt the warm body lower next to her. "Are you OK?"

"What do you care?" she asked emotionlessly.

"Dawn…" came the sigh.

"Peter…" she countered.

"I care Dawn. That didn't change." He told her. She raised an eyebrow.

"If you cared you wouldn't have given up because things were a little uncomfortable." She told him flatly. He winced.

"I was trying to protect you!" he protested.

"By breaking my heart!?" she snapped. "You threw me away like I was nothing Peter!"

"That's not how it happened!" he objected.

"Isn't it?"

"_No! _Damn it Dawn, I'm in love with you I could never do that!" he yelled. She stared at him in shock.

"What?" she breathed. He closed his eyes.

"I didn't want to tell you like that." His green eyes met her blue ones as she gaped at him. "I'm in love with you. I knew how much it was hurting you to be fighting with the captain. I didn't throw you away Dawn I gave you up! So you could be happy."

"You made me happy." She whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"You could have gotten over me. Fallen in love with someone Becker approved of and been ok with him again. That lot at the ARC- they're your family. How could I come between you and them?"

Dawn stared at him for a long moment before she leant over and pressed her lips to his. "You impossible, wonderful man don't you know Becker didn't disapprove of _you_. He was angry we lied to him and that he didn't realise!"

"He… what?" Peter spluttered, head spinning. Dawn giggled. He stared at her. "I…" he began but was cut off by his phone. He answered it, not taking his gaze from Dawn.

"We have an anomaly alert." He told her once he'd hung up. She nodded.

"Let's go then." She said softly.

They walked in silence to his car, driving to the anomaly site without a word. Dawn's eyes widened when she saw it shimmering in the air about ten metres above the ground, close to a lake. "Well this brings back memories!" she called out to Abby and Connor in amusement. They both chuckled.

"You're telling me…" she heard Claudia mumble. She raised her eyebrows for a moment until she grinned.

"You were at the golf course in your time stream?" she asked eagerly. Claudia nodded.

"Damn bird knocked me out- I was blind for a few hours with a pack of carnivorous birds chasing us." she made a face. Dawn stared at her. "What?" Claudia questioned self consciously.

"That… happened to Dawn in this timeline." Connor explained. He began to look excited.

"It was a teacher training day at school and I was still grounded for going to the Forest of Dean that first time, so dad bought me along with him." Dawn explained to her when she saw the look on her face.

Connor however, was bouncing on his toes and not listening to them. "This is amazing, it's like there's only so much differentiation each timeline will allow! I wonder if that means that-"

"Connor!" Matt reprimanded humourfully. "Can we deal with the anomaly in the sky first and timelines later?"

Connor looked sheepish. "Sorry."

"We can just close it up yeah?" asked Becker.

"Well… you could…" Stephen said slowly.

"Why do I hear a but?" groaned Danny.

"But… they might be a problem." Stephen pointed to a group of trees not far off, in which several large nesting birds could be seen.

"What are they?" asked Emily.

"No idea…" Dawn and Connor answered together, glancing at each other worriedly.

"What was that look?" Abby murmured to them.

"The last time neither of us knew was because they were from the future." Connor responded under his breath.

"We stopped that future?"

"We hope." Murmured Dawn. Abby and Connor shot her horrified looks.

"Right. How do we catch birds?" asked Becker from a little way off.

"Bait?" Dawn remembered her father standing with the flag on top of that cherry picker.

"I'm not it!" Connor yelled immediately. They all winced as the shout echoed.

"Oh Connor…" sighed Dawn as the birds stirred. They all held their breath.

One bird let out a single cry and with that the entire flock took off, soaring through the sky. "Oh boy…" sighed Danny.

"Now what?" sighed Emily.

"Anyone have a _really_ big net?" Dawn wondered aloud, as the birds wheeled around as a flock and headed straight for them.

"That… isn't good." Connor peddled back, drawing Abby with him. Claudia's eyes widened slightly and she stumbled back, kept on her feet only by Stephen catching her arm and hauling her up.

"Anyone else getting the feeling these guys might be carnivores?" he asked.

"Get in the cars!" Matt yelled. They all sprinted back, Dawn quickly scrambling up and turning, only to see that one of the soldiers had tripped.

"Oh God…" she whispered, closing her eyes in an effort to shut out the scenes in front of her. There was a strange silence from everyone there, the squawks of the birds eerily discordant in the silence. And then a radio crackled to life.

"_Right. New plan_." Becker said, sounding calm but Dawn heard the grief stricken undertones.

"We use bait, we get them back through the anomaly as quickly as possible." Matt said firmly.

"_No, we shoot them._" Becker argued back.

"_No_!" Abby protested. "_They can't help it Becker it's what they're-_"

"Enough!" Dawn ordered. There was quiet. "Arguing is not going to help. Abby and Matt are right Becker, shooting them isn't going to help at all. I'll be the bait."

"_No!_" several voices all shouted at one. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh for Gods sake. Don't be so overprotective. It won't matter if I die- the rest of you have families. I'll be the bait, I just need to get up to the anomaly for it to work."

"_Dawn that's ridiculous_!" Abby protested.

"I'll go with her." Peter volunteered. She raised an eyebrow at him, to which he shrugged.

"_Ok._" Matt decided.

And so an hour later Dawn and Peter found themselves standing on top of a cherry picker, waving their arms at a group of carnivorous birds to attract their attention. "This feels weirdly familiar." Commented Connor as he looked at them.

"Maybe they'll work things out while they're up there." Abby said hopefully, shielding her eyes from the low sun as she looked at them.

Dawn was shivering slightly as she searched for the flock. "I really was trying to protect you." Peter said suddenly.

"You didn't." she told him flatly. "You just hurt me."

"You didn't seem that hurt when you were dancing around with that boy." He said snidely. Dawn raised an eyebrow, turning to look at him.

"What boy?" she questioned in confusion.

"Your Ex. Tom, or something."

"_Tommy_?" she realised, snorting with laughter. "He's a friend."

"He's your ex. Several times over according to Abby and Jenny." Peter crossed his arms.

"Yeah- for a reason!" Dawn rolled her eyes with an amused smile. "Tommy and I are great friends, we're just not so great at the whole relationship thing. We're too similar in personality and too different in morals."

"How do you mean?"

Dawn sighed. "We have very different beliefs. I'd rather do my own thing and get the job done, Tommy would rather follow the rules even if it meant people got hurt."

"What aren't you telling me?" Peter demanded at her evasive tone.

"Just after Sarah got hurt, I was planning on going through an anomaly and after my mother myself. I was still injured, on an insane amount of painkillers but I was determined." Dawn began to explain tiredly. "I went to Tommy- who I was dating at the time- and told him goodbye. He realised I was doing something I wasn't supposed to be and called Becker, who stopped me. It was why we broke up the final time. I was so angry at him and I couldn't tell him why it mattered so much."

"He was right." Peter said quietly. Dawn shrugged.

"Maybe." She admitted. "But the point remains- we're too different to ever be compatible." She glanced up at him. "The only other person in the world who knows that story is Becker. Not even James knows, Becker hid it for me so I didn't get into trouble."

"But you just told me."

"Mm." she agreed, glancing up. And paled. "PETER!"

The birds were headed straight for them, and they'd been too wrapped up in their own conversation to notice. Peter looked at her. "Sorry!"

He caught her around the waist and hauled her over the side, still wrapped in his arm. She shrieked slightly, catching sight of the birds flying through the anomaly just before darkness closed over her.

Dawn blinked, unable to see Peter.

The blackness was consuming, and she couldn't see her feet as she looked down. Or up, possibly. She couldn't tell, couldn't see anything really.

Cautiously she reached out, groping for something, anything to provide her with an anchor but her hands encountered nothing and so she kicked out a few times, scrunching her nose as her fingers sank into something slimy.

Using it to orientate herself she peered around her, reaching out while her lungs burnt for air. She ignored them. Finally, thankfully, she encountered cloth, leather and… she really didn't want to know what _that_ was. Then a bulletproof vest, an open jacket, a face. She grasped what she hoped was Peter around the shoulders and pushed up, straining to reach the surface before her lungs gave out.

Finally, there was a sliver of light in front of her and she swam towards it desperately, breaking the surface with a gasp. She gulped in air, treading water as she struggled to lift Peter beside her. She glanced around the surface of the lake they'd fallen into, quickly spotting the rest of the team sprinting towards them. Huh, she must have been down there less time than she thought.

She pulled Peter along with her to the side where Becker and Danny hauled him out, while Matt and Stephen grabbed her. "That was fun." She panted, looking over to Peter. "Is he okay?"

Danny punched him, hard in the chest and he gasped, spluttering and choking up water. "Is now." He said cheerfully, ignoring the heaving man. Dawn sighed in relief, glancing over to him.

He met her eyes. "Drinks tonight?"

"Love to." She nodded, flopping onto the grass and staring up at the sky.


	30. Chapter 30

It was another month later when Dawn felt as if- finally- the ARC had regained some sort of routine. Yes, the anomalies still popped up whenever they felt like it but the prediction model meant that preparing for them was considerably easier.

The one downside was that it couldn't predict how long a new anomaly would stay open, something that infuriated Becker to no end. It didn't help that they were all on alert for the clones- the appearance of the one in the Permian cast doubt on the assumption that there were no more, but Dawn couldn't find any reference to them in the diary beyond their initial creation.

Their current anomaly had been open for three days already and they were all a little sick of guarding it, especially as all of the locking mechanisms had failed and they were currently waiting for a replacement.

"Field."

"Grass."

"Mud."

"Festival."

"Camping."

"Tent."

"Circus."

"Clown."

"Connor."

"Hey!" the man protested indignantly, causing Abby, Jess and Dawn to break into giggles. Jess was over the coms, while Matt was looked between the three in the car with a baffled expression on his face.

"What on earth are you doing?" he questioned in puzzlement.

"It's a word association game. The first person to say a word for the second time is the loser." Dawn explained with a smile.

"Oh…" he still looked a little confused.

"_Um… guys?_" Jess came over the coms, her tone apologetic. "_The group that was supposed to replace you with the new locking mechanism is stuck on the motorway- it's closed after an accident and there're no other teams that could be sent out. I'm sorry, you're going to be there awhile._"

Connor and Abby both groaned in unison. "There go our reservations." Abby sighed.

"Where were you going?" Dawn asked sympathetically.

"That new Italian close to the ARC?" answered Connor. "It's our anniversary."

Matt and Dawn exchanged a look. "Go." Matt instructed. The pair looked confused.

"What?" Connor questioned.

"Go." Matt repeated. "Dawn and I will be fine here."

"We're surrounded by soldiers and really, how many people does it take to watch an anomaly?" Dawn shrugged.

"But it's not locked…"

"It's been three days and nothing's come through yet." Dawn pointed out. "Go, have fun. Discuss wedding plans."

Abby beamed at her and Matt, blowing them a kiss. "Thank you." She said sincerely before she and Connor scrambled from the car and into their own, quickly driving off. Matt chuckled at them.

"Aw." He mocked. Dawn smiled. He was definitely more fun to be around now he was with Emily and didn't have an Armageddon to worry about.

"Come on, let's try to teach you that game." She settled herself more comfortably and began.

A few hours passed, until suddenly Matt looked up at the anomaly and felt himself pale. "Something's coming through!" he yelled. Dawn spun around and raised her EMD; the soldiers around her did the same.

"Don't shoot till we know what it is." she cautioned.

"_Guys?_" Jess questioned, just as the figure of a man became obvious.

"Don't shoot!" cried Matt from just in front of the man, who looked up at the sound of his voice.

"Oh! Hello …This is going to sound a bit strange but could you tell me what year it is?" he asked to Matt's growing puzzlement. He was unkempt and ragged, his clothes dirty and a little worn out.

"2012." Dawn answered from just behind him, her voice thick and her eyes wide as she moved closer. The man turned to face her, a shocked smile growing and Matt only just managed to catch the whisper that tore itself from his throat.

"Dawn…"

Matt looked surprised, glancing between them uncertainly as Dawn stepped forward. "Where the _hell_ have you been?" she choked out, tears streaking down her face, before she launched herself into his arms. He dropped the rucksack he was carrying and embraced her gladly, burying his face in her neck.

"2012? I've been gone for three years?" he questioned frantically, drawing back just enough to see her face. She nodded, unable to talk. "Oh God. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be." He whispered, drawing her in again.

"I know." she whispered brokenly, clutching at his jacket. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Matt coughed pointedly.

"Dawn…?" he prompted. She drew back, wiping her eyes roughly.

"Sorry Matt. This… this is Nick Cutter. This is my dad."

Dawn sat outside the medical bay, her arms wrapped around herself as she stared off into space. "Hey." Matt greeted softly as he sat down beside her. She smiled weakly at him. "How are you?"

"… Processing." She decided after a moment. He wrapped an arm around her.

"That's understandable." He acknowledged.

"I… I thought he was dead. I was… _so sure._ Even after Emily said about the groups and people travelling, I just… my mum had no idea he was even alive after she shot him. I figured if she hadn't even seen him then he must be gone and… it's been almost four years." Matt didn't think she was talking to him as such, so much as just rambling aloud so he just stayed quiet and listened. "It's been four years." She repeated before she fell silent, troubled.

"But it's still good he's back, right?" Matt nudged. She nodded.

"Yeah of course. I just… we weren't on the best of terms after the whole alternate timeline fiasco. We'd only just reconciled properly and then he left. I've changed and… so has he." Dawn bit her lip.

"You're frightened." He surmised. She nodded again. "Don't be. Trust me, if there's one thing I've learnt about parents it's that they always have the ability to surprise you. He's your father, he's not going to care. Just be yourself."

The doctor appeared in the doorway just then. "You can see him now."

Dawn nodded, standing and Matt did the same. "I'll brief Lester- go spend time with your dad. You might have to fill him in on some things." He pointed out. She grimaced.

"This'll be fun." She went in nervously, smoothing out her jeans and tucking her hair back. "Hi."

At her soft tone, her father looked up from his position on the bed. "Hey." He greeted. "This place sure is something." He gestured around them.

"State of the art. We've been here for three years now." She smiled, relaxing at his familiar smile and jumping up onto the bed opposite him, crossing her legs.

"Why the move?" he questioned. Dawn bit her lip.

"You… you've missed a lot." She said softly. He looked at her questioningly so she began to fill him in, starting with Danny arriving and Jenny leaving, and ending with New Dawn and the wedding preparations, leaving nothing out in between.

He lay back, stunned. "Jesus." Dawn smiled slightly, nibbling her lip as he processed everything. "Do Abby, Connor and Jenny know I'm back yet?"

She shook her head. "It's four in the morning. They'll be briefed when they arrive in a couple of hours. Matt's with Lester filling him in now though. But… there's something else you should know."

"What?"

"A few months ago Danny and I went through the Forest of Dean anomaly into the Permian era. We found a sort of… research station that mum had built. And in it we found Claudia and Stephen being held prisoner." Dawn blurted out, biting her lip.

"Claudia and Stephen?" her father questioned blankly. She nodded.

"As far as I can work out, Stephen's a clone and mum somehow inserted Claudia into this timeline from her own without messing anything up." Dawn frowned slightly in frustration. "I can't work out how."

"Claudia Brown… and Stephen Hart?" her father asked slowly. She nodded, a smile growing.

"Yes. They're here. Their memories are kind of screwy, especially Stephen's but they're here." She explained. She glanced at the door, then grinned mischievously. "Come on."

She held out a hand for a stunned Cutter to take and led him down the corridors to the small rooms Claudia and Stephen had been sleeping- the same ones Emily had stayed in when she'd first arrived. She knocked on one, rapping louder when there was no answer. There was a groan from within. "Who is it?"

"It's Dawn! Open up!" She called back to Claudia. There was rustling, before a sleepy looking Claudia opened the door.

"It's four in the morning Dawn!" she complained, brushing her hair back from her face tiredly. Dawn simply grinned, and stepped to the side to allow her father to step into view. Claudia's jaw dropped. "Nick?" she whispered.

"Claudia Brown…" he murmured in a choked voice. They stared at each other for a long moment, until Claudia stepped forward and threw her arms around him. He embraced her back gladly, while Dawn smiled.

"Stay here until someone comes to collect you, yeah?" she instructed him, walking away without waiting for a reply and glancing over her shoulder only once to see the door closing on the room. She rubbed her eyes tiredly even as she grinned, the sleepless night threatening to catch up with her.

She pushed open the door to Lester's office, resisting the urge to smirk when she saw him looking uncharacteristically rumpled. "Morning." She mumbled.

"Good morning." He greeted. Matt chuckled at them both, retrieving three cups of coffee from beneath his seat and handing on to each of them.

"Here. So what next?" he questioned. Lester sighed.

"I suppose there'll be uproar if I don't re-admit the professor onto the team?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Dawn who nodded.

"Probably safe to say." She agreed.

"Then for now, the professor can work under you Matt, just while he regains his footing in the present. We can revisit the situation in a few weeks." Lester decided.

"Who's telling who?" Dawn questioned, taking a sip of her coffee. Lester sighed again.

"I think we should tell the main team privately, and then make an announcement to the rest of the ARC." Matt said. Dawn nodded her agreement.

"Um… I may have already told Claudia." She admitted sheepishly. The men both glanced at her in exasperation.

"Why am I not surprised?" muttered Lester. "Right- Dawn you're in charge of your father. Now get out of my office so I can sleep for a little longer."

Matt and Dawn chuckled but did as asked. "You wanna sleep for a while?" Matt asked her. "I can hold the fort and I know you've been up for over twenty four hours now."

Dawn nodded. "Thanks." She said gratefully. She stumbled up to the bunks- there were a lot less female soldiers, which meant this place almost always had spare beds available. She crashed on the closest one, setting her phone underneath the pillow with an alarm set on it for two hours time.

Dawn groaned when she felt the pillow vibrating under her, muffled music playing. She reached under, silencing it before she drug herself upright and left the room, her shoes and jacket in hand as she walked to the changing rooms of the gym, taking a quick shower before putting on the spare clothes in her locker and leaving her hair to dry naturally. "Morning Dawn." Jess greeted chirpily as she left the lift, dressed in a hot pink dress with a blue cardigan and shoes. Dawn blinked.

"Morning…" she answered slowly. Jess frowned at her.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" she questioned. Dawn smiled weakly.

"About two hours." She yawned.

"Dawn!" scolded Jess.

"I was working, and then there was an anomaly and a whole heap of stuff afterwards." Dawn defended. "I'll sleep later if I need to."

Jess frowned unhappily but let it go as Dawn moved off to knock on Claudia's door. "If I come in am I going to get an eyeful?" she asked through the door.

"No Dawn." Claudia sighed in amusement. Dawn stepped in, peeking through her fingers just in case, much to the two's amusement.

"Everyone's beginning to arrive." She informed her father, who was sitting cross legged on the bed beside Claudia- thankfully, they were both fully dressed. "Wanna come shock the heck out of them?"

He grinned. "Sure. Coming Claudia?"

The brunette nodded. "Just let me get dressed." She scrambled up and over to dresser to grab some clothes before she ducked into the adjoining bathroom to change. It was only a few minutes before she reappeared, dressed in light jeans and a blouse. "You look nice." Cutter complimented. Claudia blushed and Dawn rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. They left, Dawn diverting to the room across the corridor.

"Stephen! Get out of bed!" she hollered, banging on the door. There was no answer. "You have ten minutes before I send Rex in!"

She banged on the door again before skipping back to join Claudia and her father, who looked slightly amused. Dawn shrugged. "If he doesn't get up Matt will only send me to do it later anyway."

They walked to the hub, where Dawn caught Emily just ahead of them. "Morning Em!" she called, grinning as she fell into step beside her. Emily smiled fondly at her.

"Good morning. You didn't come home last night, is everything ok?"

"Fine- I crashed here." Dawn assured her, pushing open the door to see most of the team gathered around the ADD, chatting before they were technically on the clock. Dawn smiled- perfect. She glanced back at her father with a playful grin. "Ready?"

He nodded, looking a little nervous while Emily glanced between them curiously. They walked in, Claudia squeezing Nick's hand before moving away to join Emily at the side.

Abby spotted him first, positioned as she was. She shrieked loudly, bolting over and throwing herself into his arms. He laughed slightly, catching her with ease and spinning her in the air before placing her back on the floor. "Hi Abs." he greeted affectionately.

"It's _so_ good to see you." She whispered with a bright smile, her eyes shining. Her actions had attracted the rest of the team's attention and while Danny and Jess looked slightly bemused Connor just looked shocked, stepping forward hesitantly.

Cutter wasted no time in drawing him into a tight hug. "Dawn told me everything." He murmured. "It wasn't your fault." Connor hugged him tighter, his throat becoming curiously tight.

"It's about time." Jenny smiled warmly, enfolding him into a hug and kissing his cheek. "Welcome home Nick."

"Thanks. And congratulations, by the way." He nodded to the ring on her finger and she blushed with a bright grin, moving to stand with Dawn as Becker shook Cutter's hand.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks." Cutter nodded. He noticed Becker's eyes flick behind him and turned to see Lester standing there. "Miss me?" he asked cheekily. Lester raised an eyebrow.

"Hm… let me see…" he drawled.

"James!" Dawn and Jenny reprimanded at the same time, amusement sparkling in their eyes. Lester shook his head at them.

"Welcome back, Cutter. Maybe you could have a go at controlling Dawn now, hm? God knows nobody else seems able to."

"Hey!" Dawn protested, smiling slightly. Cutter glanced over to her, smiling and she met his gaze with a grin of her own, not resisting when he reached out to bring her into a hug. "I missed you." She murmured to him.

His grip tightened. "And I you." He returned sincerely, meeting Jenny's eyes over her head as concern flickered through him. He could be blind sometimes, he was the first to admit that but his daughter had changed and he was determined to find out why.

For now though, he simply enjoyed being home with his family.


	31. Chapter 31

Dawn frowned as she wandered through the ARC, realising it was strangely quiet. "Hi Jess." She greeted the young tech, seeing her at the ADD in the hub. The brunette beamed at her.

"Hey Dawn! How was your date?" she asked eagerly. Dawn blushed.

"It was good." She answered shyly. Jess smiled.

"I'm glad. And Peter was a gentleman, right? We don't need to set the boys on him?"

Dawn laughed slightly. "No. He was wonderful. Speaking of the boys, where is everyone?"

"Lester is at a meeting, Becker is at the anomaly with Emily and Abby, Claudia and Stephen are undergoing final briefings with Matt and I think Connor and Jenny are with Professor Cutter." Jess listed. Before Dawn could answer, her attention was caught by movement close to the door.

"Sarah!" she cried, jumping up and rushing over to where Danny was hovering over the brunette. Sarah hugged her tightly.

"Hey there." She smiled fondly, brushing her hand over the teens head.

"What are you doing here?" asked Dawn excitedly, bouncing over and kissing Danny's cheek. Sarah shrugged.

"I was going crazy in that physical rehab so I got permission for a trip." She explained. Dawn beamed.

"It's so good to see you both!" she told them warmly, leading them in. "This is Jess, by the way. Jess this is Sarah."

Both women exchanged greetings but before they could do anything else the ADD blared out beside them and they all jumped in surprise. Dawn frowned.

"There wasn't supposed to be a new anomaly today…" she stepped closer as Jess's fingers flew over the keys.

"It's not too far from here…" she murmured.

"Danny you coming?" asked Dawn as she grabbed a black box, lobbing it over to Connor as he entered the room.

"Careful!" Jess protested, especially as she continued to throw one at Jenny and her father who had entered behind him.

"Sure, I'll tag along if Sarah doesn't mind?" Danny looked at Sarah enquiringly and she shrugged.

"Knock yourself out." she smiled. "Hey guys!"

Jenny laughed happily, hugging her tightly and the two of them were both caught in a huge hug by Connor. "Hi! Welcome back!" Jenny beamed.

"Are you staying?" Connor demanded. Sarah shook her head.

"Flying visit. Hey professor, welcome home!" She gave Cutter a peck on the cheek in greeting before Jess ushered them out.

"Anomaly, deal!" she ordered, pulling up a chair beside her for Sarah. They drove to the anomaly, Dawn with Jenny and Danny while Connor went with her father.

"What was earlier about?" she asked Jenny, who looked innocently at her.

"Hm?"

"I'm not stupid Jenny. What did my dad want with you and Connor?" Dawn inquired suspiciously. Jenny shrugged.

"Just catching up." She said airily. Dawn narrowed her eyes at her.

"I don't believe you."

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Tough luck on you."

Dawn huffed and as they came to a stop, she jumped out the car and crossed over to Connor's and Cutter's. "What was it really about?" Danny asked Jenny. She sighed.

"Mostly it was him yelling at me because I left Dawn."

"But you didn't…" Danny began indignantly but she shushed him.

"Perhaps not, but I didn't exactly stay with her did I? And she's his daughter- he's allowed to be a little overprotective."

Danny looked unhappy but said nothing else, grabbing their bags from the back and handing Jenny hers. "What is this place?" he asked.

"Old office building that was demolished and never rebuilt on." Connor supplied. "The foundations are still here though."

At that point, Jenny noticed Dawn had vanished. "Where is she?" she murmured, looking around. Cutter frowned in concern and the four of them spread out, searching for her.

Dawn meanwhile had gone chasing after someone who had vanished around a corner. She knew she'd seen them, but now it seemed as if there was no trace of anyone. She jogged forward, frowning as she looked over the empty concrete.

And stumbled to a stop as she finally saw the anomaly, and a woman standing in front of it. "Mum." She sighed. Helen turned and Dawn's heart dropped when she realised that she was older than last time.

The same age she'd been when she'd first reappeared all those years ago.

"Dawn." Helen greeted with affectionate smile. Dawn swallowed, tentatively moving closer.

"What are you doing here? Did you open the anomaly?"

"I needed to talk with you." Her mother said.

"You can't! This is the future!" Dawn protested, shaking her head. "You need to leave!"

"You told me there was still a home for me if I came back!" Helen said urgently. "Why did you lie?"

"I didn't!" Dawn frowned in confusion.

"You told me Nick still loved me. He didn't, he rejected me." Helen hissed and Dawn realised that this wasn't her mother anymore- this was the person she'd become after far too many years alone.

"He rejected who you became!" she snapped, losing patience. "You tried to get him to run away and leave your fourteen year old daughter behind! You were gone for eight years before that! Is it any wonder he rejected you?"

Anger flashed over Helen's face. "Who is Claudia Brown to him?" she demanded.

"That's none of your business! You need to go!" Dawn ordered.

"He's my husband!" shouted Helen.

"Not anymore!" Dawn retorted in a shout. They stared at each other. "You gave up that right a very long time ago. And if you hadn't waited eight years to show your face again, you probably would have got him back. And me too. But you did wait that long and if we face it properly, you never wanted to be a mother or a wife. You never wanted a family."

"That's not true…" Helen protested weakly.

"Yes it is. I read your diaries, remember? I was the product of too much alcohol and some bad timing and if you're completely honest with yourself, if dad hadn't talked you into it you wouldn't have kept me." Dawn choked, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"You're my daughter." Helen whispered. Dawn nodded.

"Yes." She replied softly. "And that's exactly why you need to go back."

They stared at each other for another long moment, Dawn desperately trying to pretend her heart wasn't breaking as her mother gave a single nod and turned back to the anomaly, stepping through without a second glance. Dawn let out a single, quiet sob as it snapped shut behind her, wrapping her arms around herself.

She felt arms wrap around her and without hesitation she turned and buried herself into Jenny, the older woman murmuring comfortingly to her. Over her shoulder, Dawn saw her father standing a little way off, looking thunderstruck and she closed her eyes. "How much did he hear?" she whispered.

"Enough." Came Jenny's reply. Dawn tightened her grip around her unconsciously as he came nearer, closely followed by Danny and Connor.

"How was that even possible?" Cutter asked quietly. "The timeline changed… she shouldn't exist."

"Neither should I." Dawn pointed out roughly, wiping her cheeks covertly. "I had an idea a few months ago about the timelines and the anomalies. It turned out to be right."

"It shouldn't have been possible!" her father repeated. Dawn sighed.

"When the timelines changed, it changed everything after it, right? So theoretically, you and mum should have changed too. But you didn't. Which got me thinking- if an earlier version of mum from this timeline had been on the other side of an anomaly before the point the timeline changed, maybe she wouldn't have changed then either. I was right." She shrugged. Cutter stared at her.

"That's… genius." He said in surprise.

She blushed, while Connor hooked his arms around her shoulders. "Come on, let's go back." He encouraged. She nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder as he guided her back to the car and so missed the look he shot at the other three. "You don't need her." he whispered to Dawn.

She smiled sadly at him, and closed her eyes during the ride, stopping the tears that threatened to fall.

Sarah and Jess greeted them cheerfully from in front of the ADD when they arrived back, having now been joined by Matt, Claudia and Stephen as well. Dawn smiled as she watched her father absently kiss Claudia's forehead in greeting as he and Stephen jibbed at each other and the smile only grew when Jenny didn't even flinch, instead launching into restaurant recommendations with Matt. Jess and Sarah had been playing music through the speakers and her father caught Claudia in his arms, twirling her around. His antics were quickly followed by Abby and Connor and as the other couples paired off, Dawn hopped up onto a table and crossed her legs, content to watch silently for now.

She giggled as Jenny attempted to teach Matt how to dance properly, bravely not wincing when he stepped on her toes. "Having fun?" a voice murmured into hair and she jumped.

"Peter!" she scolded with a smile. "And yes, I was."

"Want to have more?"

Before she could answer he'd swept her off the table and amongst the other couples, causing her to let off a peel of laughter. Abby smirked at Connor.

"Good call." She murmured. He grinned.

Eventually, the dancing died down and almost everyone had gone back to work… everyone apart from Dawn that was. She sat on the roof, staring out at the rapidly darkening sky, lost in her own thoughts.

"Hey." She glanced up to see her father standing behind her, gesturing wordlessly to the space beside her. She nodded, turning back to look over the rooftops as he lowered himself next to her. they sat in silence for a few minutes, until Cutter broke it. "I'm proud of you, you know."

Dawn blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I'm proud of you." He repeated. "Connor and Jenny filled me in on most of what I've missed."

"Oh, because they'd know everything." Dawn said snarkily, wrapping her arms around her knees. Cutter raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Dawn sighed. "I'm not someone you should be proud of Dad."

"I disagree. You've graduated university early, you've had to grow up in hell but you've still become this beautiful, kind girl. So yes, I'm proud of you." He told her calmly.

"You say Connor and Jenny filled you in? Did they tell you how I lost if after Sarah was injured? How I drank, smoked, took drugs, hung out with the wrong people? How I seriously considered stealing the anomaly device and going back to change everything?" Dawn questioned bitterly. "How I actually did steal it and use it?"

"They told me." he nodded. She looked at him.

"Then how on _earth_ can you be proud of me?" she asked.

"Because you're my daughter and because your mistakes don't nullify your achievements." He said simply. He wrapped an arm around her and she went to him willingly, resting her head on his shoulder.

The peace was broken however, when an alarm blared through the building. "What is that?" asked Nick.

"Escaped creature!" Dawn scrambled to her feet, hauling her father up after her and took of back into the ARC, switching on her coms again as she did. "Jess what's going on?!" she demanded. There was no answer.

Dawn glanced at her father worriedly, descending the stairs cautiously. The ARC was going into lockdown and people were hurrying out, making it difficult to see anything. "Does this happen often?"

"No. We've had escaped creatures before but Jess has always been at the ADD, and we've never had the variety of creatures we have now." She weaved in and out of the crowds, ducking under the closing door seconds before they shut. She glanced back at Cutter, who had made it as well.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Now we hope it wasn't the raptors that got out."

They trod softly, peeking around corners before they went round them. "Should somebody else be in here?" Cutter asked softly. Dawn nodded.

"The whole field team." She answered in a whisper. Finally, they reached the hub and hurried in. "Jess?" Dawn called quietly.

The ADD was unmanned, alerts and alarms flashing across the screens. "Jess?!" Cutter called as Dawn rushed over to them, silencing the blaring alarms.

"Oh my God!" Dawn's eyes widened and she paled several shades.

"What?"

"Someone opened the menagerie. All of the creatures got out. Every one." She murmured.

"Could it have been an accident? Some sort of glitch?" Cutter asked, crossing to her. She shook her head.

"The system is designed so nothing can escape. Somebody must have over ridden the controls for this to happen."

"Very good, Miss Cutter."

They both whirled around to face the disembodied voice. "Jess!" Dawn cried as she saw the tech emerge, tears streaking down her face as she struggled to walk while being held around the neck, a gun pressed to her head.

Behind her was a brunette man Dawn vaguely recognised as being one of the soldiers. "_What_ is going on?" she questioned, bewildered.

"Not clever enough to work that out, Miss Cutter?" he mocked. He shoved Jess towards them, causing her to lose her balance and stumbled in her heels before Cutter caught and steadied her. The soldier reached up, ripping off a cord that hung around his neck and Dawn watched in horror as his features changed.

"You!" Cutter cried.

"Who is he?" asked Jess in a whisper.

"One of my mothers' clones." Dawn answered grimly. "What have you done to the others?!"

He rolled his eyes. "Well, Captain Becker is with his second in command. Last I saw, they were fending off a terror bird. Mr Anderson and Miss Merchant are currently being chased by a few raptors, Mr and soon-to-be Mrs Temple are locked in the menagerie and Mr Lester is cowering in the lift with a small pteranodon. Does that answer your question?"

"What do you want?" ground out Cutter.

"All in good time." The clone shrugged, crossing to the ADD and typing in a command. He frowned when the computer merely beeped.

"How do I lift it?!" he demanded.

"Lift what?" enquired Dawn.

"The lockdown! How do I lift it?!"

"You can't." said Jess. "It's designed so that you can't stop it from in here."

"Then where can I do from?!" he bit out, advancing on her. She yelped, scrambling back.

"Outside the ARC!" interrupted Dawn. "You can't do it from inside!"

He roared in fury, smashing the keyboards to the floor. Jess flinched. "Fine." He turned on them, breathing evilly while his eyes were wild. "Then I'll make the point another way."

He raised the gun towards them, and a shot rang out.

Dawn barely had time to gasp when she felt a body slam into hers, pushing her to the ground. Jess was next to her, and she looked up to see her father. "Dad?" she questioned frantically. He shook his head.

"I'm fine." He promised. He twisted around and she sat up to see the clone lying on the floor a little way away from them, a perfect hole in the centre of his forehead. Dawn looked around.

Danny was standing there, gun raised. "Guess he forgot about Sarah and I." he quipped dryly. Dawn sighed in relief.

"Hell of a sense of timing Danny." She breathed. He nodded.

"Cheers!" he grinned, rushing forward to help them all up. "Are you ok?"

Dawn nodded, glancing over to see Jess and her father doing the same. "Good." He smiled.

"I don't understand…" Jess murmured.

"He was more advanced than the others." Nick noted, walking over to study the body. "More realistic."

"The same as Stephen." Dawn said quietly. "Capable of blending in better."

"Why? What's the point?" Danny questioned.

There was silence for a moment, before banging could be heard. "The others!" Jess gasped.

"Oops." Dawn said sheepishly, racing off, closely followed by the other three and leaving the body lying on floor.


	32. Chapter 32

**_Thank you so much to everyone reading, and a special thank you to those who've reviewed! :-D XXX_**

Dawn wished she could say that everything went smoothly from then on but of course, working at the ARC meant nothing of the sort happened.

Abby and Connor got married right on schedule eight months later, with only a few hiccups in the form of a misplaced bouquet and a very drunk younger brother. And when they announced just a few months later that Abby was pregnant nobody was that surprised, although Lester immediately ordered Abby out of the field.

Just two months after that announcement, it became very clear that Jenny was pregnant as well. Clear to Dawn, at least, who caught her being sick in the toilets on more than one occasion. The peaceful few months however, came to an abrupt end when the older brunette collapsed while in a meeting with Lester and Matt, and was ordered on complete bed rest at just four months pregnant.

Despite this, she was rushed into hospital several times until at six months pregnant she went into premature labour on the same day Abby went into her full term labour. While Nicholas Matthew was born healthy after a relatively easy labour, Annabelle Grace was rushed into the neonatal unit as soon as she'd been delivered by emergency caesarean, following Jenny haemorrhaging during labour.

They both pulled through though and Dawn got the impression that it was a silently unanimous decision that Belle, as she called her much to Jenny's annoyance, would be an only child… biologically at least. Once both mother and daughter were recovered, Matt and Emily announced their own engagement and Jess and Becker finally admitted they were dating (it took them long enough, Dawn had quipped wryly) and just ten months later, Dawn attended yet another wedding. In the hotel the evening before, her father proposed to Claudia who immediately accepted, to much squealing and excitement.

The next big event was the birth of Connor and Abby's second son, Thomas Stephen, six months after that. Sarah and Danny had been celebrating her return to full health with a cruise that took them around the world in six months- they returned at the baby's christening with matching wedding rings and secretive smiles.

Jess and Becker then announced that they too were expecting an addition to their family, and the brunette went into labour during the wedding reception of the new Mr and Mrs Cutter, giving birth to Luke Anthony four months before Matt and Emily's own pregnancy announcement. Their eldest son Gideon Joseph- named for both their fathers- was born five months after that.

And then Claudia announced- quite dramatically- that she was expecting a baby too. Dawn remembered in amusement how the irate brunette had yelled it across the room at her husband, who was confused about why his wife was so angry about him being busy with work until he'd processed her words, at which point Connor had thankfully had the foresight to push a chair behind him for when he fell back. Dawn was ashamed to admit she'd been resentful and jealous towards the baby and withdrawn from the group during Claudia's pregnancy, throwing herself into performances more than the ARC. Caught up in their own children and the impending birth, no one had noticed.

Her change in behaviour caused Peter to walk out of their shared home, at which point it was Sarah who realised what as wrong with the teenager. And when Stephen Connor was born, she forced Dawn to the hospital with her and to hold the new baby.

Having her baby brother in her arms changed Dawn's views somewhat, and instead of jealously she felt nothing but love for the tiny boy, although she was the first to admit that her dad having a new son instead of a daughter probably helped somewhat.

And so things trundled along relatively quietly for a while. Peter returned home, apologetic but resolute and Dawn agreed to communicate more with him while Claudia never returned to work after her maternity leave- instead she willingly became the designated baby sitter for all the children, often helped by whoever happened to be off shift and not in need of sleep at the time. About a year after Stephen was born, Jess announced she was expecting another baby and Emelia Abigail came into the world just six months later. On the day she was born, Becker finally proposed and they were married two years later, five months after Emily announced she was pregnant for the second time.

Twins Christopher Edward and Charlotte Elizabeth were born a few weeks premature but completely healthy. It was the day before their christening at six months old that Peter plucked up the courage to propose to Dawn… although not before he was threatened by every male member of their little family, including Nicky and a slightly bemused Tommy.

When Nicky was five (and three quarters, thank you very much!) Abby and Connor discovered they were expecting another baby as well- Jennifer Sarah came into the world far more sedately than either of her big brothers, and instantly had the entire ARC wrapped around her finger. Abby swore that if Connor touched her again she'd chop some important parts off, much to the teams' amusement when they overheard the conversation.

When 'Jenna' was six weeks old Peter was called up for active service - he and Dawn reluctantly agreed to postpone their wedding plans, choosing to commit to each other when they didn't have the possibility of Peter's death looming over them.

Sarah and Danny, meanwhile, had been desperately trying to have a baby of their own but to no avail. They tried everything including several rounds of IVF until eventually the doctors admitted that although they didn't know why, Sarah's body just seemed incapable of carrying new life. They were distraught and although Danny tentatively bought up surrogacy or adoption, Sarah was devastated she couldn't carry a child of her own and so the pair settled for spoiling their pseudo nieces and nephews rotten. Dawn was relatively sure she was the only one who noticed the flash of grief and pain in Sarah's eyes every time she caught sight of one of the children.

Which meant that when Danny and Sarah returned from an anomaly investigation in Africa with two little girls in tow, the ARC was equally astonished and unsurprised. Mary and Sandra were orphans, just six and two years old and adored by their new adoptive parents while Belle was just pleased there was another girl closer to her own age than Emilia or Charlotte.

With Peter still away, most assumed that would be the last of the ARC babies for a while- most of the members were older and those that were still in the field were getting ready to leave it, at least part time. Which was why when Dawn found Jenny throwing up in the toilets one morning when Annabelle was eight, she didn't quite know what to think.

The new baby was unexpected and unplanned. The doctors had advised against her having another baby and so Michael begged her not to continue with the pregnancy- Jenny refused, and at seven months pregnant gave birth by caesarean section to Daniel Liam.

Peter returned eventually from the war but not quite as whole as he'd left. An IED had rendered him blind, and for the first time Dawn found herself being pushed away from him. Thankfully, she was just as stubborn as he was and the pair married within two years of his return. Lester retired from the ARC although he kept in contact- most of the children called him and Amelia their grandparents, something he pretended didn't affect him (Dawn knew it did- she'd seen the pictures in his wallet and desk) and Jess had taken over operations.

When Daniel was four, Dawn discovered she herself was pregnant and Alexander Nicholas was born on christmas day. Her father was the only one she suspected understood the significance of the name, but he never said a word to her.

By the time Alex was ten, he'd been joined by James Elijah, named after Lester and Becker (Connor had laughed himself silly upon finding out Becker's middle name. Because Hilary Elijah, really?) and Jennie Louise, which was Jess's middle name. Ryan Daniel was seven years younger than his oldest brother and to be honest, Dawn thought that would be it from the 'first generation ARC babies', as they'd been nicknamed (although Connor insisted that Dawn's were second generation). That was until, when Alex was nineteen Abbie Stephanie Helen unexpectedly joined the troupe.

Dawn never did explain to Stephen the significance of the name and who the original Stephen was to her, although she assumed somebody had mentioned it to him. Stephen himself struggled to acclimatise to his new life- missing memories hadn't mattered while he was held prisoner with Claudia but in the real world he couldn't fit in. Just after baby Stephen was born, adult Stephen took off travelling the world. He visited every continent and would often spend several months out of contact, but would make sure he made it home for every wedding and birth and for a few flying visits in between.

And then, just weeks after Abbie was born tragedy struck. Amelia called them in tears from the hospital- Lester had collapsed at home. The team rushed up there and sat in the waiting room for most of the night, taking it in turns to leave to be with the children who had all been deposited at Emily and Matt's house- it was closest to the hospital.

Dawn read the doctors' face before he could say a word.

Lester had cancer- terminal. The stubborn man had refused to seek treatment for his pain, not realising how serious it was and now it was too late. He declined any life prolonging treatment, stating that if he was going to die he was going to do it on his own terms. Dawn was heartbroken, and ready to build a device to take her through the future anomaly to find a cure- Connor willingly volunteered to help and the pair had even drawn up plans for the device. But Lester forbid them. He'd accepted his fate and refused to let them risk themselves when they both had kids at home.

He died at home, a month before Abbie turned one.

The woman smiled sadly to herself as she closed the book, glancing up at the crowd in front of her who had been listening, enraptured. "But what happened next?" a little boy asked.

"Life kept going. The ARC had to carry on because the battle continues. There is always a new threat. But whatever it is… they'll deal with it."

The woman signed copies of the book for a few hours, until the book shop closed and she left picked up her bag and coat. "They'll deal with it huh? Sounds like something grandad would have said."

The woman looked up and smiled warmly at the man in front of her. "Hi honey! It was- it was in his portion of the memoirs. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I was at the ARC, figured I'd walk you home."

She cupped his cheek with a soft smile. "You're a good boy Alex."

"I try." He said cheerfully. They began to walk. "The book seems popular."

"Everyone wants to know about the governments best kept secret."

"Do you miss it?"

"What?"

"The secrecy."

The woman laughed softly. "It certainly made things easier. But… no, I don't think I do. Not having to lie, to be careful about what we can say in public. I think Jenny would have had a fit if she'd been here."

Alex smiled in agreement. "That I can imagine. Hey, some of us were talking recently. We want to hold a memorial, a public one."

"I don't understand."

"The ARC is public now, yeah? Us 'first gen' kids…" he made air quotes with a humourful smile. "We all work there in some capacity, we're hailed as heroes and monsters, depending on who you listen to. But everything our parents did- or grandparents in my case- goes mostly unrecognised. I mean, the book will help but we want to do more." Alex explained.

"I think it's a wonderful idea."

"Good, because we kind of already did it." he opened the door they were in front of to reveal the crowd of people.

"Nan!" "Dad!" kids swarmed around them, only to be quickly ushered away by Alex.

"So on a scale of 1 to 10 how mad are you?" Nicky appeared in front of her, beaming. She chuckled and shook her head.

"You crazy kids." She laughed.

"You love us."

"That I do." She agreed, glancing around at them. Her kids and nieces and nephews- pseudo and otherwise- and their kids, and in the far corner was Eden, Nicky's eldest grandchild, cradling her newborn daughter.

"What'd you think Aunt Dawn?" Charlotte grinned, gesturing to the pictures of the original teams that ran across the walls.

"I think that there obviously not enough dinosaurs if you have time to do this!" Dawn grinned, hooking an arm around her as she stared around her at her bonkers family, different to how it used go be but none the less amazing. "But… It's beautiful."


End file.
